THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

AND  ITS  RESTORATION 

WITH    PRACTICAL    EXERCISES    FOR 
THE  USE  OF  SINGERS  AND  TEACHERS 


BY 

W.  WARREN  SHAW 

WITH   INTRODUCTION   BT 

DAVID  BISPHAM 


»0  EXPLANATORY  ILLUSTRATIONS 


PHILADELPHIA  &  LONDON 

J.  B.  LIPPINCOTT  COMPANY 


COPTBIQHT,   1914,  BT  J.  B.  LIPPINCOTT  COMPANT 


PBINTEO  BT  J.  B.  LtPPINCOTT  COMPANT 

AT  THE  WASHINGTON  SQUARE  PRK88 

PBILADELPHIA,    U.  8.  A. 


Music 
Library 

MT 


To  MY  WIFE 
EMMA  SUELKE  SHAW 

WHOSE  KNOWLEDGE  AND  EXPERIENCE 
IN  THE  ART  OP  SINGING  HAS  BEEN  OF 
INESTIMABLE  VALUE  TO  THE  AUTHOR 


"THE  mind  must  be  trained  to  the  perception  of  beautiful  sounds. 
It  must  hold  these  sounds  as  ideal  while  practising  with  the  voice.  If  a 
person  holds  the  right  ideal  steadily  before  his  mind  while  properly 
practising,  repetition  will  cause  this  ideal  to  take  dominating  possession 
of  the  tones,  and  thus  shape  them  to  itself  and  become  incarnated  with 
them. 

"The  voice  is  capable  of  expressing  every  mental  activity — intel- 
lectual and  emotional.  It  rarely  fails  to  reveal  the  lower  order  of  feelings, 
as  physical  pleasure  or  pain.  It  can  also  reveal  the  higher  realms  of 
feeling — love  of  good  and  truth,  sympathy  and  spiritual  perception. 

"The  proper  study  of  the  voice  is  a  study  of  the  manifestations  of 
the  soul." — From  the  Emerson  School  of  Expression,  Boston. 

VOICE  is  THE  AUDIBLE  EXPRESSION  OF  THE  SOCL 

"THE  best  way  to  cultivate  the  voice  is  not  to  think  about  it. 
Actions  become  regal  only  when  they  are  unconscious.  The  voice  that 
holds  us  captive  and  lures  us  on,  is  used  by  its  owner  unconsciously. 
Fix  your  mind  on  the  thought  and  the  voice  will  follow.  If  you  fear 
you  will  not  be  understood,  you  are  losing  the  thought — you  are  think- 
ing about  the  voice.  If  the  voice  is  allowed  to  come  naturally,  easily 
and  gently  it  will  take  on  every  tint  and  emotion  of  the  Soul.  The  voice 
is  the  sounding-board  of  the  Soul.  God  made  it  right.  If  your  Soul  is 
filled  with  Truth  your  voice  will  vibrate  with  love,  echo  with  sympathy 
and  fill  your  hearers  with  the  desire  to  do — to  be  and  to  become." — 
Elbert  Hubbard. 


PREFACE 

"  The  Lost  Vocal  Art "  has  for  its  purpose  the 
restoration  of  the  vital  principle  in  systems  or 
methods  of  voice  culture  which  formerly  charac- 
terized the  Old  Italian  Method.  The  science  of 
psychology  is  shown  to  be  the  real  science  on  which 
the  old  school  actually  stood,  and  on  which  all 
really  successful  schools  of  voice  culture  must 
stand. 

The  principles  scientifically  explained  as  psy- 
chological are  the  fundamental  governing  forces 
of  all  artistic  vocal  development  worthy  of  the 
name.  It  is  pointed  out  that  the  old  methods,  while 
having  these  principles  in  operation,  were  not  forti- 
fied by  the  scientific  explanation  of  the  how  and 
wherefore  of  the  matter. 

The  Old  Masters  were  not  aware  of  the  scientific 
soundness  of  their  position.  Controversialists 
had  not  arisen.  Empirical  instruction  was  the 
only  kind  that  was  recognized,  or  used.  When 
the  attempt  was  made  to  advance  new  systems  of 
instruction  based  upon  the  science  of  physiology, 
the  teachers  and  singers  of  the  old  school  were 
led  like  lambs  to  the  slaughter.  They  did  not 
resist,  thinking  that  they  might  benefit  themselves 

7 


8  PREFACE 

by  such  knowledge  as  was  evolved  from  scientific 
research. 

The  danger  of  constructive  work  which  not  only 
took  cognizance  of  but  attempted  directly  to  gov- 
ern the  physical  parts  involved,  did  not  at  first 
appear.  It  took  time  to  show  the  extent  of  the 
evil.  The  glamour  of  the  newly  acquired  knowl- 
edge obtained  through  analysis,  together  with  the 
undoubted  truth  of  the  things  that  were  said  con- 
cerning the  physiological  phenomena,  served  to 
hoodwink  the  representatives  of  the  true  school. 
They  themselves  became  willing  victims  of  the 
erroneous  doctrines.  They  thought  they  were  to 
become  wiser  men — more  proficient  in  their  art 
than  ever,  by  the  knowledge  of  these  great  dis- 
coveries. 

Thus  the  evil  had  its  origin,  and  the  discovery  of 
the  laryngoscope  aided  and  abetted  the  threatened 
downfall  of  correct  principles — or  their  abandon- 
ment. Almost  unwittingly  the  dependence  upon 
the  right  principles  gave  place  to  dependence  upon 
wrong  principles. 

What  is  known  as  the  lost  vocal  art  is  shown  to 
be  nothing  more  nor  less  than  the  result  of  the  loss 
or  change  of  constructive  principles  which  were  for- 
merly in  use,  and  the  resurrection  of  this  lost  art 
must  come  from  the  restoration  of  that  true  vital 


PREFACE  9 

principle  made  manifest  in  empirical  instruction. 

The  ability  of  the  master  is  determined  by  his 
ability  not  only  to  hear  and  judge  correctly  the 
voice  of  his  pupils,  but  also  to  make  them  hear  and 
correctly  judge  their  own  voices,  and  his  skill  must 
be  further  shown  in  the  use  of  devices  for  the  pro- 
motion of  desired  ends. 

The  physical  activity  which  may  be  recom- 
mended as  favorable  means  of  development  must 
not  be  confounded  with  the  physiological  prin- 
ciple. One  is  the  assisting  factor,  and  is  general 
in  principle — in  recognition  of  the  fact  that  physi- 
cal elasticity  renders  the  parts  more  capable  of 
ready  response  to  the  demand  of  the  will,  directed 
toward  the  effect  desired.  The  imagination  and 
idealization  of  tone  is  placed  before  the  action,  this 
being  the  actual  initiative. 

This  means  concentrating  the  mind  on  tone  de- 
sired and  witting  the  effect,  the  process  being  in  a 
measure  subconscious  and  aided  by  physical  activ- 
ity. The  other,  the  physiological  principle,  is  the 
fixing  of  the  mind  upon  and  willing  the  specific 
activity  of  the  process,  or  any  part  of  it. 

Although  many  attacks  have  been  made  upon 
scientific  voice  culture  based  upon  physiology, 
due  to  the  unfavorable  results  experienced  by 
artists  who  have  tried  to  proceed  along  these  lines, 


10  PREFACE 

nothing  of  a  scientific  nature  has  been  offered 
to  show  that  the  statements  concerning  the  physi- 
cal facts  are  incorrect.  The  truth  of  the  matter  is 
that  analytically  the  physiologists  are  for  the  most 
part  correct.  Their  sore  and  grievous  error  is  in 
the  synthesis,  not  in  the  analysis,  of  voice.  Up 
to  the  present  time  we  have  had  in  refutation  merely 
the  history  of  the  rejection  of  scientific  voice  cul- 
ture by  artists  of  experience.  They  know  that 
physiological  scientific  voice  consideration  in  sing- 
ing or  method  in  teaching  is  practically  not  only 
of  little  use,  but  is  generally  destructive  rather  than 
constructive  in  the  practical  working-out. 

The  empirical  instruction  of  the  old  school  is 
now  shown  to  have  a  firm  scientific  foundation  on 
which  to  stand.  The  Old  Masters  builded  better 
than  they  knew,  but  were  not  knowingly  or  wit- 
tingly supported  by  scientific  truth. 

The  Moderns  who  are  not  familiar  with  the 
truth  evolved  from  what  we  may  term  a  latter-day 
science — owing  to  its  comparatively  recent  de- 
velopment— should  acquaint  themselves  with  its 
teachings. 

They  will  doubtless  then  realize  that  Apollo  may 
now  stand  on  the  immortal  pedestal  designed  by 
Nature — the  science  of  psychology. 

THE  AUTHOR. 


INTRODUCTION 

IT  is  with  great  pleasure  that  I  yield  to  the  re- 
quest of  the  author  to  write  an  introduction  to  his 
work,  as  I  am  entirely  in  sympathy  with  all  he  has 
to  say  concerning  the  importance  of  the  psycho- 
logical phase  of  the  art  of  singing,  as  well  as  of  the 
necessity  for  absolute  mastery  of  the  physical  ma- 
chinery by  means  of  which  we  actually  do  sing. 
It  is  unnecessary  for  a  man  to  know  the  names 
of  the  muscles  of  his  legs  and  arms  in  order  to  be 
an  athlete,  but  he  must  know  how  to  use  them  to 
the  best  advantage.  He  must  be  taught  by  some 
one  of  experience  in  athletics  how  to  get  the  best 
results  with  the  least  strain;  and  so  it  is  with  a 
singer.  All  birds  are  taught  by  their  elders  their 
language  of  song,  as  children  are  taught  to  speak, 
without  specific  instruction,  in  either  case,  in  the 
mechanism  of  either  song  or  speech. 

Song,  with  human  beings,  is  an  extra  sense ;  it  is 
at  least,  an  elaboration  of  the  attribute  of  speech, 
of  the  gift  of  music,  and  of  the  sense  of  hearing, 
a  combination  of  the  three  so  intricate  and  so  inti- 

11 


12  INTRODUCTION 

mate  that  it  is  no  wonder  that  various  modes  of 
training  have  been  resorted  to  in  leading  the  armies 
of  would-be  singers,  most  of  whom  are  totally  un- 
fitted for  the  task  they  find  confronting  them. 

The  successful  singer  is  indeed  a  shining  ex- 
ample of  the  theory  of  the  survival  of  the  fittest; 
and  the  wise  master  is  one  among  ten  thousand. 
These  know,  beyond  all  peradventure,  that  only 
those  who  can  sing — who  have  naturally  the  com- 
bination of  the  many  qualities  that  make  a  singer 
• — should  be  permitted  to  study  with  a  view  to  going 
before  the  public ;  and  that  very  careful  training 
of  the  voice  in  song  and  speech,  with  the  best  singers 
as  models,  and  the  watchful,  conservative  master 
as  mentor,  is  absolutely  indispensable  to  success. 

Let  the  pupil  look  into  the  physiology  of  the 
throat  if  he  so  desires,  but  let  him  not  think  that 
this  knowledge  will  enable  him  to  sing,  any  more 
than  that  a  runner  should  win  a  race  because  of 
his  knowledge  of  the  mechanism  of  his  legs.  The 
latter  wins  because  he  can  run  faster  than  his  com- 
petitors, and  knows  better  how  to  use  his  legs  for 
having  trained  them :  and  so  it  is  with  the  singer. 
The  voice  and  general  musical  ability  must  be  of 
more  than  average  excellence,  and  must  be  care- 
fully trained  if  he  would  win  in  the  severe  compe- 


INTRODUCTION  13 

tition  of  to-day ;  and  also  it  is  imperative  that  the 
wise  master  guard  the  special  sense  that  makes  a 
singer,  against  the  general  lack  of  sense  that  so 
often  mars  him.  Though  the  science  of  psychol- 
ogy may  now  be  shown  to  be  the  basis  of  the  work 
of  the  old  Italian  masters,  I  doubt  if  they  would 
have  called  their  mode  of  teaching  "  psychologi- 
cal," but  it  is  well  now  so  to  distinguish  it  from 
the  physiological  method  which  is  so  productive 
of  systems  palpably  erroneous,  taught  too  often  by 
those,  forsooth,  who  cannot  sing!  The  writer 
was  a  pupil  of  the  elder  Lamperti,  and  of  Vannu- 
cini — direct  descendants  of  the  great  masters  of 
their  Italian  past — also  of  Shakespeare,  Lam- 
perti's  principal  English  advocate,  a  man  of  fine 
intelligence,  and  of  greater  muscianship  and  wider 
experience  before  the  public  than  most  teachers 
among  his  contemporaries. 

The  secret  of  the  so-called  lost  art  of  singing  he 
sought  in  vain  among  the  mazes  of  physiological 
science,  and  never  did  he  place  much  reliance  upon 
these  puzzling  questions.  He  tried  to  show  his 
pupils  not  only  how  to  master  the  physical  by  close 
attention  to  its  obvious  demands,  but  how  to  guide 
all  so  as  to  bring  about  the  purest  and  most  artistic 
vocal  results  by  means  of  the  exercise  of  that  higher 


14  INTRODUCTION 

mental  quality  which  our  author  denominates  the 
psychological  principle. 

Shakespeare  seldom  trained  pupils  for  the  stage ; 
he  taught  them  to  sing.  If  they  succeeded  in  ora- 
torio, concert,  or  opera,  it  was  because  they  knew 
how  to  sing,  not  because  they  were  foisted  upon  the 
public  and  happened  to  succeed.  He  was  heart 
and  soul  with  the  older  Italians  in  discountenan- 
cing mediocrity.  The  lynx  ears  of  Lamperti  and 
of  Shakespeare  would  not — could  not — allow  what 
they  considered  wrong  in  note  or  phrase,  or  ulti- 
mate inner  sense  to  pass  unchallenged. 

Reliance  upon  the  principles  of  physiology  to 
correct  physiological  defects  is,  of  course,  essen- 
tial; but  the  art  of  song  is  mental,  and  so  is 
psychological  in  its  higher  development.  When 
the  body  is  in  subjection  to  the  mind,  the  will 
works  its  way  with  the  world,  and  the  spirit  will 
hold  sway  over  all  things  inanimate.  By  bringing 
to  bear  upon  it  the  suavity  of  Italian  vocal  art, 
even  the  majestic  roughness  of  the  German  tongue 
may  be  toned  down  without  loss  of  strength  and 
with  positive  gain  of  beauty.  So  obvious  was  this, 
some  years  ago,  when  Madame  Cosima  Wagner 
visited  Covent  Garden  Opera,  in  London,  that, 
after  hearing  a  performance  of  her  husband's 


INTRODUCTION  15 

"  Lohengrin,"  sung  by  Mcsdames  Nordica  and 
Schumann-Heink,  the  brothers  Jean  and  Edouard 
de  Reszke,  and  the  writer,  she  exclaimed,  "  I  have 
to-night,  for  the  first  time  in  my  life,  heard  Wagner 
sung  from  a  melodious  standpoint !  "  (**  vom  Stand- 
punkt  melodieux")  And  why  was  that?  It  may 
safely  be  said  that  it  was  because  the  artists  named 
had  all  studied  the  art  of  singing  so  well,  from  such 
an  artistic  standpoint,  that  even  the  difficulties 
o'f  Wagner  became  comparatively  easy  to  them, 
and  the  psychology  of  their  complex  roles  stood  out 
triumphant  over  the  material  means  of  expression 
which  so  often  prove  a  hindrance  to  the  enjoyment 
of  modern  works.  Let  none  suppose  that  such  re- 
sults, or  such  praise  as  Madame  Wagner  gave  us, 
were  to  be  obtained  without  long  and  arduous 
physical  training;  but  let  all  be  made  aware  that 
behind  this  must  always  be  the  extra,  inner  sense ; 
the  strong  psychological  undercurrent  of  the  all- 
informing  mind;  for  as  long  as  the  physical  ob- 
trudes itself,  the  manifestation  of  the  higher 
quality  will  be  hindered. 

What  is  it  that  makes  one  violin  better  than 
another? — or,  mayhap,  superlatively  good?  The 
mind  of  its  maker.  What  is  it  makes  violin-playing 
good,  bad,  or  indifferent,  despite  the  excellence  of 


16  INTRODUCTION 

the  instrument?  The  mind  of  the  performer.  In 
the  days  when  artists  could  not  buy  tubes  of  paint 
ready-made,  but  were  obliged  to  mingle  their  own 
pigments  to  obtain  the  desired  shades,  the  great 
Sir  Joshua  Reynolds,  renowned  for  the  richness  of 
his  tones,  was  asked  by  an  admiring  junior  aspirant 
to  his  honors,  "  Sir  Joshua,  what  do  you  mix  your 
colors  with?"  to  which,  like  a  flash,  came  the  re- 
joinder from  behind  the  great  horn-rimmed  spec- 
tacles, "  With  brains,  sir,  with  brains." 

But  "  who  shall  ascend  into  the  hill  of  the 
Lord?  "  Who  is  there  to  make  known  to  all  the 
world  the  fact  that  Art,  though  long,  is  enduring ; 
and  to  bring  home  to  the  unthinking  the  homily 
that  Life  is  short  and  must  be  well  used?  To  the 
merely  physical  and  sensual,  Art  is  nothing,  and 
Life  has  no  meaning.  To  the  spiritual  and  the 
psychical,  Art  is  of  the  things  that  bring  the  under- 
standing o'f  the  possibility  of  eternal  Life  to  the 
human  race.  Let  not,  then,  the  high  gift  of  song 
be  abused,  but  nurtured  as  coming  to  mortals,  as 
it  does,  from  a  higher  plane  than  is  now  recognized 
by  those  who  would  make  of  it  merely  a  vehicle  for 
sensuous  enjoyment  or  for  barter  and  trade. 

NOVEMBER,  1913.  DAVID  BISPHAM. 


CONTENTS 


Part  I 
PRINCIPLES  AND  METHODS   21 

THE   PRESENT   VOCAL   SITUATION    25 

The  difficulties  of  the  beginner — Necessary  qualifica- 
tions for  a  singer — The  languages — The  "  Italian 
Method " — The  charlatan  vocal  teacher  and  singing 
coach — The  inefficiency  of  present  day  systems — The 
standardization  of  voice  culture. 

THE  RELATION  OF  PHYSIOLOGY  AND  PSYCHOLOGY  TO  VOCAL 

ART    46 

The  observation  of  phenomena — What  physiology 
proves — Psychological  influences — Memory,  under- 
standing, will  power  and  vital  force — The  value  of 
the  old  school — Empirical  instruction — Meaning  of 
well-known  precepts — Psychology,  the  basis  of  the 
truly  scientific  school  of  voice  culture — Physiology, 
the  basis  of  the  scientific  school  as  generally  under- 
stood. 

PSYCHOLOGICAL   AND    PHYSIOLOGICAL    VIEWS    OP    VOCAL 
TRAINING    59 

Two  points  of  view — Psychology  as  applied  to  the  art 
of  singing — The  hearing  of  one's  own  voice — Ideal- 
ism, mental  conception,  imagination  and  judgment 
of  sounds  produced — Discussion  of  psychology  as 
the  true  basic  principle — Criticism  of  the  singing  of 
to-day — Causes  of  failure — Scientific  principle  of  the 
old  school — Individuality  of  voices — The  voice  the 
vehicle  of  expression — The  crying  evil  of  the  day — 

17 


18  CONTENTS 

Control  of  voice  vs.  control  of  vocal  mechanism — Dis- 
tinction and  diiference  between  physical  and  physio- 
logical consideration — Unique  position  of  the  voice 
considered  as  a  musical  instrument — The  synthesis 
and  analysis  of  voice — The  laryngoscope,  opinion  of 
scientists  regarding  its  influence. 

ERE  ATHINfi     AND     BREATH.     CONTROL 85 

Theoretical  and  practical — Deduction  of  scientists — 
Physical  parts  involved — The  important  things  for 
the  consideration  of  the  student — Automatic  and 
direct  breath  control — The  correct  mode  of  procedure 
— The  open  throat — Registers — "Singing  on  the 
breath" — The  influence  of  correct  carriage — Fallac- 
ious doctrines. 

VOICE  PLACING    107 

True  meaning  of — General  misapprehension  of — 
Mechanical  guidance — Experience  of  the  average 
student — Skill  in  singing — The  natural  law  of  expres- 
sion versus  mechanical  guidance — The  importance 
of  the  first  year  of  study — Voice  placing  coincident 
with  the  art  of  singing — Causes  of  rigidity — Fallacy 
of  the  present  theory — The  wrong  mental  attitude — 

"  Covering  " — Domination  of  the  emotional  instinct — 
Possibility  of  artistic  success  despite  mechanical 
hindrance — General  futility  of  mechanical  methods 
— Physical  culture — Correct  mental  attitude  and 
proper  physical  condition — Common  errors — Com- 
pelling the  phenomena  of  voice — Direct  attention  to 
the  management  of  physical  parts  involved — Con- 
sideration of  registers — Views  of  Tosi  and  Mancini — 
Garcia  and  the  laryngoscope. 

THE  RESURRECTION  OF  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 129 

General  supposition  of  loss — Physiological  analysis 
inadequate — No  written  records  of  actual  principles 


CONTENTS  19 

followed  by  old  masters — Decline  of  the  old  art 
coincidental  with  scientific  analysis — The  true  living 
principle — Corroborative  value  of  sciences — Causes 
of  departure  from  empirical  system — Evidence  of 
variableness  in  method  but  not  in  principle  of  the  old 
school — Great  singers  and  teachers  of  the  Seventeenth 
century — Variety  in  style — Instruction  by  imitation — 
The  right  and  wrong  principle — The  fundamental 
principle  of  the  old  school  explained — Corrobora- 
tion — Subjective  and  objective  study — The  correct 
fundamental  principle — The  various  schools  of  the 
Seventeenth  century — Famous  singers  of  that  time. 

Part  II 

THE  SYNTHESIS  OF  VOICE  PRODUCTION  157 

General  observation  in  practice — Voice  culture — The 
relation  of  the  singing  and  speaking — Singing  as  an 
art  of  self  expression — Terminology:  sing  on  the 
breath,  open  the  throat,  sing  the  tone  forward,  sup- 
port the  tone — Pronunciation  and  enunciation — 
Registers — Ear  training,  subjective  and  objective. 

THE  PROVINCE  OF  THE  VOICE  SPECIALIST 174 

Correct  physical  activities  as  influencing  quality  and 
quantity — Views  of  Mancini — The  accomplishment  of 
breath  control — Fallacious  doctrine  of  control  at  the 
diaphragm — Misuse  of  physiological  facts — Breath- 
ing methods  of  Jean  de  Reszke  and  Pol.  Plancon — 
Inferior  costal  breathing. 

PRACTICAL  CONSIDERATIONS  FOR  TEACHERS  AND  SINGERS.  187 
The  singer's  position — Facial  distortions — Changes  of 
registers — The  forward  tone — Devices  for  promoting 
correct  condition — Vowels  and  tone  color — Open  and 
closed  tones — focussing — Enunciation  and  pronuncia- 
tion— Explanation  of  old  Italian  Methods — The 


20  CONTENTS 

principle  used — Nasal  tone  and  nasal  resonance — 
The  smiling  mouth — Freedom  of  neck  and  head — • 
Management  of  voice  vs.  management  of  mechanism 
— Forcing  the  voice — Relaxation,  rigidity  and  flexi- 
ble firmness — The  "  stroke  of  the  glottis  " — necessary- 
muscular  tension — The  "  messa  di  voce  " — Superfluous 
vocal  effort — Correct  voice  placing,  how  best  accom- 
plished— The  use  of  vocal  exercises — How  to  sing 
them. 

EXERCISES    208 


PART  I 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

PRINCIPLES  AND  METHODS 

IN  preparing  a  treatise  on  the  subject  of  voice 
culture,  which  may  serve  as  a  guide  and  be  of  prac- 
tical aid  to  vocal  teachers  and  singers  in  developing 
the  voice  in  a  natural  normal  way,  the  fact  has 
been  taken  into  consideration  that,  because  of 
the  immense  variety  of  opinions  and  views  regard- 
ing the  best  means  or  methods,  it  will  be  necessary 
to  treat  the  subject  with  care,  proceeding  along 
the  broadest  lines  compatible  with  strict  adherence 
to  known  scientific  truth. 

The  fundamental  principles  involved  are  pointed 
out  with  due  recognition  of  the  laws  of  nature, 
which  must  always  be  observed  in  the  process  of 
natural  normal  vocal  development;  and  for  the 
purpose  of  counteracting  some  of  the  most  flagrant 
violations  of  these  laws,  as  shown  in  certain  prin- 
ciples and  doctrines  which  are  persistently  promul- 
gated with  such  baneful  effects. 

21 


22  THE  LOST  VOCAl  ART 

As  a  matter  of  expediency,  it  is  desirable  to  em- 
phasize the  important  truth  that  vocal  methods 
are,  and  should  be,  considered  only  as  a  means  to 
an  end,  and  that  end,  the  acquiring  of  skill  in 
singing.  This  involves  not  only  vocal  development, 
the  control  of  poise  and  power  in  the  management 
of  the  voice,  but  intelligent  and  comprehensive 
interpretation. 

Strictly  speaking,  there  is  a  different  general 
method  in  the  hands  of  every  teacher,  which  method 
represents  the  most  favored  doctrines  and  means 
of  procedure  known  to  that  teacher. 

It  represents  that  which  in  the  judgment  of  each 
teacher  is  best,  of  the  sum  total  of  his  experience. 

Different  specific  methods  as  modifications  of 
general  method  are  often  employed  in  different 
cases  under  observation.  Indeed,  it  is  often  found 
that  radical  changes  in  method  are  not  only  desir- 
able but  absolutely  necessary  to  meet  the  require- 
ments of  the  various  mental  and  physical  condi- 
tions of  the  individual.  Arbitrary  methods  are  like 
ready-made  garments — they  do  not  fit  many  people 
at  all,  and  as  a  rule  fit  poorly  at  best.  It  is  suffi- 
cient to  say  that  any  method  facilitating  the  work 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  23 

of  overcoming  defects  and  tending  toward  bringing 
about  ideal  conditions  is  good  so  long  as  it  accom- 
plishes that  purpose.  What  is  wanted  by  the  vocal 
world,  however,  is  definite  knowledge  "from  which 
reliable  synthetic  methods  may  be  evolved. 

"  What  kind  of  knowledge  is  worth  the  most  ?  " 
asks  Herbert  Spencer  in  his  work  on  education. 
He  answers  the  query  in  one  word,  "  Science." 
And  what  is  science  ?  Science  is  knowledge  of  facts 
coordinately  arranged  and  systematized;  and 
the  object  of  science  is  knowledge.  As  in  science 
the  object  is  knowledge,  so  in  art  the  object  is 
works. 

In  art,  knowledge  of  truth  is  the  means  to  an 
end ;  in  science,  truth  is  the  end.  Hence  the  abso- 
lute dependence  of  the  best  art  upon  science. 

Art  without  scientific  knowledge  is  constantly 
in  danger  of  degenerating  into  artificiality,  and 
there  is  a  vast  difference  between  these  two, 
although  they  are  often  confounded. 

The  vocal  world  undoubtedly  owes  much  that  is 
good  to  the  study  and  research  of  the  true  scien- 
tists ;  but  to  those  scientists — chiefly  physiologists 
— and  their  followers,  who  have  theorized  and 


24  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

worked  from  false  premises,  it  owes  much  that  is 
evil. 

It  is  mainly  in  the  hope  of  further  separating 
the  wheat  from  the  chaff  in  vocal  training,  par- 
ticularly in  its  relation  to  the  art  of  singing, 
that  this  work  has  been  undertaken. 

Such  a  course  necessarily  involves  the  consid- 
eration of  the  psychological  phases  of  the  subject, 
and  the  pointing  out  of  the  proper  physiological 
considerations  which  are  at  the  present  time  so 
misunderstood. 

The  analysis  of  vocal  phenomena  has  already 
been  successfully  undertaken,  so  that  a  fairly  cor- 
rect criticism  of  nearly  all  defects  and  shortcom- 
ings common  to  the  singing  voice  is  available. 

Synthetically  or  constructively,  however,  there 
remains  much  that  is  vague,  indefinite,  and  mis- 
leading in  the  systems  in  general  use. 

Important  differences  of  opinion  regarding 
methods  of  training  now  exist,  whereas,  if  the 
fundamental  truth  were  well  known,  such  differ- 
ences could  not  exist. 

Minor  differences  of  opinion  there  will  always 
be,  but  this  should  represent  nothing  more  than 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  25 

a  healthy  and  legitimate  variety  of  individual  taste 
regarding  the  most  desirable  and  best  in  all  things 
pertaining  to  the  art  of  singing.  The  fundamental 
principles,  however,  are  inviolable. 

THE  PRESENT  VOCAL  SITUATION 

IN  these  days  of  general  as  well  as  of  special 
interest  in  matters  vocal,  the  progress  of  events 
pointing  toward  unanimity  of  opinion  regarding 
the  correct  principles  to  be  applied  in  the  develop- 
ment of  the  singing  voice  is  problematical. 

The  crystallization  of  ideas  into  something  tan- 
gible and  concrete  in  what  is  generally  known  as 
vocal  method  has  not  progressed  as  rapidly  as 
might  be  supposed — in  the  light  of  scientific  investi- 
gation and  supposedly  logical  conclusions  arising 
therefrom. 

This  is  deplorable,  for  the  reason  that  so  many 
thousands  of  students  of  singing  are  spending  much 
money  and  valuable  time  in  seeking  something 
which  seems  to  become  in  the  course  of  pursuit  a 
veritable  will-o'-the-wisp. 

This  is  true  of  those  who  are  studying  seriously 
with  the  purpose  of  preparing  themselves  for  a 


26  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

professional  career,  as  well  as  of  those  who  are 
studying  for  the  purpose  of  acquiring  the  art  of 
singing  as  an  accomplishment  whereby  they  may 
entertain  their  friends  and  themselves. 

To  those  who  have  set  out  to  make  singing  their 
chief  occupation  and  interest,  it  is,  of  course,  of 
vital  importance  that  their  studies  should  be 
directed  along  the  lines  of  least  resistance,  pointing 
to  as  rapid  progress  as  is  compatible  with  sound 
vocal  development. 

The  chief  difficulty  confronting4  almost  every 
aspirant  for  vocal  honors  is  encountered  at  the 
very  outset. 

In  most  cases,  the  problem  of  voice  management 
becomes  at  once  the  most  difficult  to  solve.  The 
acquiring  of  correct  tonal  poise  and  adequate  vocal 
technique  is  the  chief  obstacle  to  the  aspiring  vocal 
artist  throughout  his  preparatory  course,  and  more 
often  than  otherwise  continues  to  be  the  chief 
cause  of  whatever  degree  of  embarrassment  there 
may  be  throughout  a  more  or  less  successful  career. 

Some  authority  with  a  love  for  epigrammatic 
expression  has  set  the  idea  in  motion  among  lay- 
men that  "  singers  are  born,  not  made."  No 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  27 

sweeping  assertion  was  ever  made  that  was  more 
subversive  of  the  truth.  Instead,  singers  are  made, 
not  born.  It  is  just  as  true  to  say  that  doctors, 
lawyers,  and  clergymen  are  born,  not  made. 

It  is  undoubtedly  true  that  some  are  born  with 
special  talent  for  singing,  and  those  who  possess 
a  marked  talent  are  more  easily  trained  and  devel- 
oped than  those  having  a  lesser  degree  off  musical 
talent  and  physical  adaptability,  providing  that 
they  have  ambition  to  become  vocal  artists;  but  it 
is  a  fact  that  a  great  number  of  successful  vocalists 
were  not,  or  at  least  did  not  seem  to  be,  particularly 
gifted  originally  as  to  quantity,  quality,  or  range  of 
voice.  Their  success  has  been  due  to  persistent,  un- 
tiring effort  to  succeed  in  their  chosen  profession. 

These  successes  are  practical  examples  of  what 
faithful,  unswerving  devotion  to  a  cause,  or,  in 
other  words,  fixedness  of  purpose,  can  accomplish. 

It  is  a  verification  of  the  words  of  Owen  Mere- 
dith :  "  The  man  who  seeks  one  thing  in  life,  and 
but  one,  may  hope  to  achieve  it  before  life  is  done ; 
but  he  who  seeks  all  things  wherever  he  goes,  but 
reaps  from  the  hopes  which  around  him  he  sows,  a 
harvest  of  bitter  regrets." 


28  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

Lack  of  concentration  and  consecration  to  a 
chosen  profession  or  calling  is  the  chief  cause  of 
failure  in  almost  every  walk  of  life.  The  various 
distractions  which  interfere  with  the  accomplish- 
ment of  the  aims  and  purposes  of  each  pilgrim  on 
life's  journey,  and  which  are  allowed  to  creep  in, 
vitiating  the  vital  forces  of  mental  and  physical 
progress,  are  factors  which  can  be  held  accountable 
for  many  failures.  This  is  true,  of  course,  in  the 
vocal  as  in  all  other  spheres  of  life. 

Special  fitness  for  any  particular  field  of  en- 
deavor should  always  be  a  matter  of  prime  consid- 
eration as  a  matter  of  course. 

The  person  who  elects  to  prepare  for  a  vocal 
career  should  first  be  sure  of  sufficient  musical 
talent  and  natural  voice  to  warrant  the  expenditure 
of  time,  money,  and  effort  necessary  to  an  event- 
ually successful  outcome. 

When  these  considerations  have  been  given  due 
weight,  and  the  person  has  decided  to  embark  upon 
this  particular  voyage,  the  thing  to  be  considered 
of  equal  importance  to  the  necessary  vocal  develop- 
ment is  the  acquiring  of  a  broad  musical  education, 
which  many  singers  lack. 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  29 

Next  comes  the  language — the  mother  tongue 
first.  Unless  the  cultivation  from  childhood  has 
been  exceptional,  the  candidate  will  be  surprised 
at  his  lack  o'f  a  correct  understanding  of  enuncia- 
tion and  pronunciation. 

The  Italian,  French,  and  German  languages 
should  then  be  taken  up,  each  with  a  native  teacher, 
if  possible.  The  work  being  well  laid  out  and  regu- 
lated, proceed  with  the  determination  to  win.  Will 
power  directed  mainly  toward  the  cultivation  of 
patience  and  endurance  must  then  be  depended 
upon  to  record  success. 

Regarding  the  development  of  the  singing  voice, 
it  is  certainly  true  that  "  a  little  knowledge  is  a 
dangerous  thing."  That  correct  fundamental 
principles  are  little  understood  is  a  fact  too  well 
known  to  require  any  discussion.  That  pseudo- 
scientific  methods  and  individual  egotistical  meth- 
ods abound  in  our  great  cities,  systematically  de- 
feating their  own  ostensible  purpose,  is  an  equally 
well-known  fact.  Incidentally,  the  so-called 
"  Italian  Method  "  is  at  once  the  most  abused  and 
misunderstood  slogan  of  them  all.  In  the  voice 
problems,  the  field  is  especially  open  and  adapted 


30  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

to  the  operations  of  the  charlatan.  This  fact  has 
long  been  known  to  the  capable  and  conservative 
teachers  who  have  had  occasion  to  listen  to  the 
pitiable  vocal  efforts  of  victims  of  false  doctrines 
and  unspeakably  bad  methods,  who  have  come  to 
them  for  relief.  Singularly  enough,  many  such 
cases  have  been  students  who  have  been  trained 
by  singers  of  more  or  less  ability  and  of  some 
recognition  as  concert  or  opera  singers.  Teachers 
of  this  variety  oftentimes  depend  upon  their  illus- 
trations and  the  pupils'  powers  of  imitation  for 
success.  They  do  not  always  know  the  causes  of 
correct  vocal  form.  Others  have  teen  pupils  o'f 
musicians  of  well-known  ability  as  conductors, 
organists,  and  pianists.  Many  of  these  teachers 
believe  that  there  is  nothing  in  particular  to  be 
known  about  the  voice,  that  it  is  quite  sufficient  to 
be  a  musician,  and  that  they  are  as  well  able  to 
teach  the  art  of  singing  as  any  one  else.  The  law 
supports  them  in  this  belief  by  placing  no  restric- 
tion upon  their  operations  and  depredations. 

Let  us  consider  the  status  quo  of  the  members  of 
the  vocal  profession  as  compared  with  that  of  the 
legal  and  medical  professions. 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  31 

Before  a  man  is  privileged  to  practise  as  a  doc- 
tor or  a  lawyer,  he  must  know  something  about  his 
subject — theoretically,  at  least.  In  the  case  of 
the  physician,  he  must  know  something  practically 
as  well,  and  this  condition  is  assured  beyond  a 
reasonable  doubt  before  he  receives  his  diploma 
and  license  as  a  practitioner. 

To  be  sure,  quack  doctors  and  pettifogger  law- 
yers are  not  anomalies,  but  in  every  case  they  must 
know  more  about  their  profession  than  the  vocal 
teacher ;  for  the  vocal  teacher  is  required  to  know 
absolutely  nothing  of  his  subject.  The  vocal 
teacher  is  a  free  lance,  and  is  too  often  a  musician 
who  finds  that  he  can  make  more  money  by  teaching 
the  voice  than  he  can  in  any  other  way.  The 
physical  conditions  are  such  as  to  render  him 
immune  from  responsibility  in  the  results  of  his 
efforts ;  likewise,  such  as  to  render  judgment  off  his 
ability  by  the  prospective  pupil  extremely  difficult. 

The  man  who  would  attempt  to  teach  the  piano, 
pipe  organ,  violin,  or  any  other  instrument,  with- 
out knowing  how  to  perform  upon  that  instrument, 
is  an  unknown  quantity,  for  obvious  reasons.  No- 
body would  become  the  pupil  of  such  a  teacher; 


32  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

and  if  he  did,  his  friends  would  be  justified  in  plac- 
ing him  under  restraint  pending  an  examination  as 
to  his  sanity.  Not  so  the  vocal  student,  and  the 
reasons  are  equally  obvious.  Many  of  these — in 
fact,  most  of  them — can  sing  a  song,  after  a 
fashion,  without  being  taught.  Natural  musical 
instinct  keeps,  them  in  tune,  and  the  voice  moves  to 
some  extent  automatically,  as  was  intended  by 
Nature.  (  Contemplation  o'f  this  fact,  by  the  way, 
is  a*  powerful  suggestion  indicative  of  the  correct 
initiative  in  vocal  training.)  Consequently,  all 
that  the  student  thinks  he  requires  is  criticism,  and 
he  will  do  the  rest.  The  teacher  has  merely  to  lis- 
ten, criticise,  and  suggest  improvements,  accord- 
ing to  his  judgment,  from  effects  produced  by  the 
pupil.  Now,  if  the  teacher  who  is  a  musician,  even 
providing-  that  he  realizes  that  he  doesn't  know 
much'  about  the  voice,  would  be  content  to  officiate 
only  as  a  listener  and  critic,  the  result  would  seldom 
be  disastrous.  The  success  of  the  pupil  would 
depend  upon  the  natural  freedom  of  the  voice  in 
the  necessary  range  of  song,  and  his  purely  musi- 
cal advancement,  truly  enough,  should  be  naturally 
assisted  by  the  musical  suggestions  of  the  teacher. 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  33 

Such  a  teacher  of  singing  should  be  known  as  a 
coach,  and  the  average  reputable  coach  has  nothing 
to  say  about  the  vocal  mechanism,  nor  does  he 
attempt  in  any  way  to  train  the  voice.  The  great 
evil  is  wrought  by  the  inexperienced  vocal  teacher, 
who  knows  nothing  about  the  voice  psychologically 
nor  physiologically,  and  has  no  skill  in  the  use  o'f 
devices  for  correcting  faults.  He  pretends,  how- 
ever, to  know,  and  frequently  experiments  with 
some  particular  hobby  which  he  believes  to  be  the 
best  means  of  vocal  development.  Perhaps  he  has 
gleaned  a  smattering  of  knowledge  from  the  perusal 
of  some  book,  or  from  the  ideas  expressed  by  others 
in  conversation ;  at  any  rate,  he  is  at  liberty  to  go 
ahead  and  assert  himself,  like  Gilbert  and  Sulli- 
van's "  lady  who  never  had  danced,  but  she'd  rather 
like  to  try."  Let  us  consider  for  a  moment  the  posi- 
tion of  the  pupil  who  is  so  often  the  dupe  or  victim. 

This  inoffensive  person  is  wandering  about  un- 
decided as  to  the  selection  of  a  teacher.  He  has 
heard  that  So-and-so  is  good,  so  he  will  try  him. 
Forthwith  he  commences  lessons.  If  the  master 
is  not  a  competent  teacher  of  the  voice,  the  throat 
of  the  student  may  gradually  develop  a  stiff  con- 


34  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

dition  under  exercises,  the  range  of  which  is  too 
great  for  the  voice,  or  from  following  out  some 
instruction  of  the  teacher  as  to  a  mode  of  produc- 
tion which  is  at  variance  with  the  laws  of  Nature. 
The  master  does  not  know,  and  it  is  not  reasonable 
to  suppose  that  the  pupil  will  know,  how  to  over- 
come the  difficulty,  at  the  end  of  his  course  of 
lessons. 

Since  singing  is  more  psychological  than  physio- 
logical, and  instruction  in  singing  should  be  more 
psychological  than  physiological,  it  is  a  good  thing 
for  a  singer,  and  a  most  necessary  thing  for  a. 
teacher,  to  understand  the  psychological  phases 
of  the  subject.  It  is  undoubtedly  true  that  the 
mental  attitude  of  the  singer  should  be  directed 
toward  expressive  utterance,  rather  than  toward  a 
consideration  of  the  operation  of  the  muscles  in- 
volved in  tone  production. 

Furthermore,  there  is  great  danger  in  attempt- 
ing to  develop  the  singing  powers  along  physiologi- 
cal lines,  especially  if  the  attention  o'f  the  student 
is  directed  separately  to  the  various  parts  during 
respiration  and  phonation. 

Coordination  of  the  muscles  can  be  depended 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  35 

upon  under  properly-directed  thought.  The  psy- 
chological phase  is  the  one  for  the  singer's  con- 
sideration, as  the  physiological  condition  is  the 
important  consideration  for  the  physician  or  oper- 
ating surgeon. 

Experience  has  taught  this  fact  to  all  successful 
singers.  Most  of  the  great  singers  are  not  suffi- 
ciently posted  on  the  physiological  side  of  the 
question  to  argue  the  matter  with  physicians, 
physiologists,  and  scientists,  and  are  quite  content 
if  they  can  please  the  public,  keep  their  voices  in 
good  condition,  and  command  their  prices  for  ap- 
pearances. This  in  itself  does  not  argue  that 
ignorance  o'f  the  physiological  side  of  the  subject  is 
a  necessary  condition  of  mind  for  the  successful 
singer.  I  must,  however,  confess  that  circumstan- 
tial evidence  in  the  cases  that  have  come  under  my 
observation  would  point  to  the  conclusion  that 
those  who  know  most  about  the  voice  physiologi- 
cally sing  the  worst;  while  most  of  the  learned 
writers  who  would  uphold  the  physiological  aspect 
of  voice  production  make  either  ridiculous  or  posi- 
tively excruciating  noises  in  attempting  to  illus- 
trate their  points.  It  is,  however,  none  the  less 


36  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

true  that  these  same  writers  give  valuable  informa- 
tion on  the  physiological  side  of  the  question,  in 
comparing  singers  who  have  come  under  their 
observation. 

There  are  a  few  physiological  facts  that  are  im- 
pressed upon  a  singer  at  certain  times  which  no 
doubt  it  would  profit  him  to  understand. 

If  the  throat  aches  or  becomes  tired,  or  the  voice 
becomes  hoarse  or  brittle  after  singing  a  number 
of  songs  or  vocalizing  even  for  a  reasonable  length 
of  time,  there  is  a  physiological  condition  present 
which  demands  a  knowledge  of  the  specific  cause 
on  the  part  of  the  vocalist.  In  the  olden  times  the 
remedy  was  absolute  rest  of  the  voice.  This  much 
the  old  masters  knew  about  the  laws  of  Nature,  and 
they  doubtless  thereby  saved  many  a  singer  from 
premature  vocal  extinction.  Modern  science  has 
evolved  the  knowledge  of  certain  physiological  facts 
pertaining  to  these  and  other  undesirable  vocal  con- 
ditions, with  which,  if  the  teacher  be  acquainted, 
he  can  use  to  great  advantage  in  his  training. 
Such  knowledge  properly  used,  may  be  of  great 
value  in  bringing  about  strengtji  and  elasticity. 

The  army  of  writers  who  have  written  according 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  37 

to  their  lights  disagree  upon  vital  points.  Scien- 
tists and  self-styled  scientists  have  written  exhaus- 
tively. 

Physiological  and  psychological  treatises  have 
appeared,  setting  forth  plausible  doctrines  which, 
from  the  standpoint  of  the  authors,  would  seem  to 
settle  forever  much-mooted  questions ;  but  the 
conclusions  are  not  always  convincing ! 

Comparative  theoretical  analysis  may  serve  some 
purpose  in  clearing  the  atmosphere,  but  the  prac- 
tical application  of  theory  must  be  the  means  of 
determining  its  value  to  the  student  world.  The 
field  of  theoretical  conjecture  was  originally  pre- 
empted by  worthy  and  unworthy  settlers,  who 
battled  right  royally  among  themselves.  They 
passed  to  their  reward,  and  the  cudgel  was  taken 
up  by  enthusiastic  followers  who  have  added 
their  jots  and  tittles  to  the  general  fund  of  infor- 
mation— correct  and  incorrect.  Many  of  these  are 
still  alive,  and  are  followed  by  a  greater  or  smaller 
army  of  adherents,  who  brandish  their  weapons 
of  attack  and  defence  and  rally  'round  their  re- 
spective banners.  Their  universal  war-cry  is, 
"  Accept  this  faith  or  ye  perish."  The  ultimatum 


38  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

is  defiantly  hurled  at  the  constantly-growing  army 
of  possible  recruits  and  interested  spectators,  and 
the  battle  goes  on.  In  the  vast  conflict  there  is  no 
unanimity  of  opinion,  and  among  the  theoretical 
hosts  there  possibly  never  will  be.  Thus  the  novi- 
tiate student  finds  himself  at  the  threshold  of  a 
maelstrom.  He  plunges  into  the  vortex,  and  some- 
times he  comes  out  alive  vocally,  but  not  always. 

Keenness  of  perception  and  natural  intuition 
play  a  large  part  in  the  fate  of  each  candidate,  but 
even  these  gifts  are  often  powerless  to  save  him 
in  the  face  of  wrong  guidance,  and  few  there  be 
who  drop  noiselessly  into  the  seething  stream  and 
float  triumphantly  to  their  longed-for  goal.  Too 
often  they  are  overpowered  by  ineffective  or  ruin- 
ous methods ;  or,  seeking  to  escape,  are  caught  in 
the  whirlpool  of  doubt  and  despair. 

The  wrecking  o'f  voices  by  incompetent  vocal 
teachers,  many  of  whom  are  sublimely  unconscious 
of  the  damage  they  are  working  among  their  trust- 
ing victims,  is  going  on  at  an  alarming  rate.  This 
fact  is  well  known  among  skilful  vocal  teachers, 
who  are  actually  successful  in  their  work. 

In  the  meantime,  whatever  can  be  said  or  done 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  39 

toward  pointing  out  the  danger  signals  and  pilot- 
ing the  vocal  mariners  into  the  course  of  truth  and 
right  action  will  no  doubt  be  acceptable  to  all. 

The  time  is  ripe  for  the  standardizing  of  voice 
culture.  The  long-suffering  musical  public  should 
be  protected  alike  from  charlatans  and  the  bliss- 
fully ignorant  pilots  who  have  no  chart  or  compass. 

To  those  who  are  fully  aroused  to  the  situation 
as  it  exists,  who  are  aware  of  the  wretched  systems 
of  cultivating  the  voice  along  superficial  and  un- 
natural lines,  who  know  of  the  existing  chicanery — 
the  flattery  and  blandishments  showered  upon  un- 
suspecting victims  in  the  interest  of  business — the 
condition  is  truly  appalling.  The  world  wags 
along,  and  the  heartrending  cries  of  the  vocally 
lost,  and  the  gnashing  of  teeth  by  the  sojourners  in 
vocal  purgatory,  are  smothered  by  the  hopeful 
shouts  of  the  advancing  army  of  beginners  who 
expect  to  do  better. 

The  picture,  unfortunately,  is  not  exaggerated 
or  overdrawn.  This  may  be  superlative  iconoclasm, 
but  it  is  certainly  high  time  that  some  of  the  idols 
should  be  destroyed. 

The  idolatrous  worshipping  of  the  "  method  "  on 


40  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

account  of  its  difficulties  and  seeming  unattainabil- 
ity  should  be  brought  to  an  abrupt  end. 

Pursuant  of  the  statement  that  there  is  no  una- 
nimity of  opinion  among  the  theoretical  writers,  it 
is  nevertheless  gratifying  to  observe  that  there  is 
a  constantly-growing  tendency  toward  common 
ground  of  agreement  on  vital  points,  manifested 
by  those  who  have  been  through  the  refining  fire 
of  practical  experience,  and  who  are  actually  suc- 
cessful singers  and  vocal  teachers. 

Certain  physiological  and  psychological  truths 
are  making  themselves  felt.  False  doctrines  will 
no  doubt,  by  process  of  gradual  elimination,  yield 
to  the  truth  by  virtue  of  their  power  to  accomplish 
evil  and  their  impotence  to  accomplish  good  in 
matters  vocal. 

It  is  a  question  of  time  and  the  survival  of  the 
fittest — both  in  theory  and  in  the  practical  work- 
ing-out. 

Some  teachers  express  the  opinion  that  the  read- 
ing of  books  upon  the  subject  of  voice  culture  and 
the  art  of  singing  does  little,  if  any,  good. 

Indeed,  it  is  stoutly  maintained  by  many  that 
the  perusal  of  works  upon  the  subject  is  worse  than 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  41 

useless,  and  oftentimes  positively  detrimental  to 
the  progress  of  the  student.  Such  opinions  are 
not  without  a  show  of  good  reason,  because  it  is 
true  that  the  variety  of  ideas  and  views  expressed 
may  well  be  considered  as  confusing  to  the  utter- 
most degree.  These  ideals  and  views  are  diametri- 
cally and  cross-sectionally  opposed  to  each  other 
in  our  array  of  vocal  literature. 

Duly-accredited  authorities  are  at  loggerheads ; 
half-truths  which  conceal  whole  truths,  and  hence 
are  more  dangerous  than  untruths,  are  spread 
before  the  inexperienced  student. 

Is  it  any  wonder,  then,  that  under  these  con- 
ditions the  student  body  should  be  advised  not  to 
read  books  on  the  subject,  on  the  ground  that  such 
reading  may  result  in  a  dangerous  confusion  of 
ideas? 

However  true  this  may  be,  the  solution  of  vital 
problems  can  never  be  accomplished  by  closing  the 
eyes  and  the  ears,  and  refusing  to  exercise  the 
powers  of  judgment,  consideration,  and  analysis. 
To  the  earnest  seeker  after  truth  it  is  necessary  to 
investigate;  and,  after  all,  to  use  a  trite  expres- 
sion, "  Every  tub  must  stand  on  its  own  bottom." 


42  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

It  may  be  an  open  question  as  to  the  advisability 
of  young  students  reading  indiscriminately  the 
works  of  various  authors;  but  it  is  assuredly  the 
imperative  duty  of  vocal  teachers  to  investigate 
truths  and  untruths  which  abound  in  the  world  of 
literature  pertaining  to  their  art;  to  separate  so 
far  as  possible,  the  true  'from  the  false,  and  to 
advise  as  to  such  reading  as  may  prove  profitable 
to  the  student. 

Into  the  vocal  teacher's  hand  it  is  given  to  be 
a  .great  power  for  good — or  the  reverse. 

The  responsibility  is  his  to  lead  young  singers 
aright.  To  do  this,  it  is  necessary  to  know  the 
highways  and  the  byways ;  the  paths  that  lead  to 
the  summits,  and  the  paths  that  do  not. 

The  standardizing  of  voice  culture  as  to  funda- 
mental principles  is  a  crying  necessity,  but  never- 
theless the  standardizing  of  tone  from  the  view- 
point of  imitating  the  sounds  produced  by  certain 
artists,  to  the  end  that  all  singers  should  sound  like 
these  great  singers,  is  not  only  physically  imprac- 
tical and  impossible,  but  it  also  represents  a  sum- 
total  distinctly  undesirable  in  effect. 

Physically  taking  into  consideration  the  fibre 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  43 

and  construction,  for  instance,  of  Caruso's  and 
Melba's  vibrators  (vocal  cords)  and  surrounding 
laryngeal  apparatus — the  size,  form,  and  construc- 
tion of  the  resonators,  chest,  throat,  and  nasal 
cavities  (  all  tone-characterizing  factors  to  be  reck- 
oned with  in  any  voice),  to  say  nothing  of  the  size 
and  capacity  of  the  lungs,  windpipe,  and  respira- 
tory muscles  representing  the  motor  power — it  is 
hard  to  conceive  of  the  possibility  of  making  even 
similar  tones  with  such  a  variety  of  conditions  as 
a  physical  basis. 

From  this  standpoint  alone,  I  should  as  soon 
think  of  trying  to  make  a  piccolo  sound  like  a 
flute,  a  violin  like  a  viola  or  a  bass  viol,  or  a  cornet 
like  a  trombone  or  a  French  horn;  moreover,  the 
constitutional  difference  in  different  singers,  and 
the  mental  equipment  as  well  as  the  mental  atti- 
tude, must  be  considered. 

The  character  of  each  voice  is  influenced  to  a 
very  considerable  extent  by  the  mental  as  well  as 
by  the  physical  condition  of  the  individual.  Hence 
the  interesting  varieties  of  voices  as  well  as  the 
interesting  varieties  of  'faces. 

No  two  voices  sound  alike,  any  more  than  two 


44  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

faces  look  alike ;  nor  do  we  wish  to  have  them  so. 
We  don't  want  to  walk  down  the  street  and  see  the 
same  shaped  nose  and  chin,  the  same  color  of  eyes, 
the  same  complexion  or  expression  on  every  face 
we  meet;  no  more  do  we  want  to  hear  the  same 
character  of  voice,  which  must  needs  be  unnaturally 
and  artificially  produced.  The  logical  conclusion 
as  to  the  result  of  such  working-out,  granting  that 
it  should  be  successful,  is  that  it  would  amount  to 
insufferable  monotony. 

We  wish  to  see  cheerful,  intelligent  faces,  radiant 
with  health  and  the  joy  of  right  living,  and  hear 
musical,  expressive  voices  in  both  speech  and  song ; 
and  to  this  end  the  standardizing  of  tone  construc- 
tion is  desirable. 

Analytically,  the  'faults  and  defects  in  voices 
are  pretty  well  known  and  have  been  scientifically 
explained,  but  this  has  not  as  yet  served  to  produce 
a  synthetical  process  corrective  in  effect  of  these 
same  defects. 

The  tearing  down  and  dissection  have  been  to 
the  satisfaction  of  all  observers  and  close  students 
of  the  subject,  but  not  so  the  building-up  or  syn- 
thetic process.  When  this  has  been  satisfactorily 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  45 

accomplished,  when  unanimity  of  opinion  shall  be 
established  regarding  fundamental  principles  per- 
taining to  construction,  when  cause  and  effect  shall 
be  understood  in»  direct  correlation,  and  univer- 
sality of  opinion  and  ideas  concerning  effect  desired 
shall  exist,  then  the  musical  forces  of  the  world  will 
commence  to  act  in  accord,  and  the  wheels  of  the 
machinery  for  the  much-to-be-desired  standardiz- 
ing of  tone  construction  will  be  set  in  motion. 

The  standardizing  of  tone  in  effect  is  not,  then, 
a  desirable,  any  more  than  it  is  a  practical  or  pos- 
sible, culmination. 

The  delicate  structure  of  the  lyric  tenor  was 
never  intended  by  Nature  to  sound  like  the  dra- 
matic, heroic  tenor  of  Caruso,  even  under  full 
normal  development.  The  normal  tone  charac- 
ter of  the  dramatic  soprano  expressing  any  emo- 
tion is  essentially  different  from  the  tone  character 
of  the  lyric  soprano  expressing  the  same  emotion. 

Serious  difficulties  are  encountered  by  artists 
who  dare  to  ignore  their  physical  limitation  and 
attempt  the  impossible.  The  annals  of  history 
teem  with  records  of  vocal  disasters  of  this  kind. 

Variety  of  effect,  then,  is  a  physical  necessity, 


46  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

as  well  as  artistically  desirable.  This  does  not, 
however,  antagonize  the  true  fundamental  prin- 
ciples involved  in  correct  vocal  development;  nor 
does  it  antagonize  the  unquestionable  desirability 
of  unanimity  of  opinion  arising  from  knowledge 
of  facts  in  the  physical  phenomenon  and  the  causes 
thereof. 

THE    RELATION   OF   PHYSIOLOGY   AND 
PSYCHOLOGY  TO  VOCAL  ART 

NOTWITHSTANDING  this  arraignment  of  certain 
views  of  the  relation  between  physiology  and  vocal 
art,  let  it  not  be  understood  that  the  science  of 
physiology  has  no  bearing  upon  the  physical  oper- 
ation of  the  voice  in  song  and  speech.  On  the  con- 
trary, the  observations  and  conclusions  of  the 
physiologists  have  done  a  considerable  amount  of 
good  to  the  vocal  world.  The  evil  which  has  been 
done  has  been  chiefly  on  account  of  wrong  con- 
sideration of  its  relation  to  the  vocal  art. 

One  important  relation  of  physiology  to  vocal 
art  is  the  observation  of  the  phenomenon  of  voice- 
production  with  a  view  to  its  effect  upon  our  physi- 
cal welfare.  For  instance,  as  to  abdominal  breath- 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  47 

ing,  physiology  points  out  that  it  is  injurious  to 
the  physical  welfare  of  the  singer ;  frequently  pro- 
ducing hernia,  indigestion,  and  various  other  dis- 
orders of  the  system.  Physiology  points  out  the 
fact  that  the  diaphragm  is  the  most  important 
muscle  of  inspiration,  but  is  not  a  muscle  of  expira- 
tion. It  thus  exposes  the  ignorance  of  the  pseudo- 
vocal  scientist  who  instructs  his  pupils  to  control 
the  breath  at  the  diaphragm.  Again,  physiology 
proves  clearly  that  the  habit  of  tight  lacing  among 
women  is  distinctly  injurious  to  the  normal  opera- 
tion of  the  lungs  and  to  the  general  health  of  the 
individual  as  well.  These  and  similar  considera- 
tions make  the  science  of  physiology  an  important 
factor  in  determining  the  course  of  truly  scientific 
voice  culture. 

Physiology  says  to  vocal  science :  "  Do  not  build 
up  a  system  which  interferes  with  my  laws — other- 
wise you  are  unscientific."  And  true  vocal  science, 
when  born,  says  truthfully  to  physiology :  "  You 
are  not  my  parent.  You  can  tell  me  what  I  can 
and  cannot  do  so  far  as  it  concerns  you,  but  no 
more.  I  will  observe  your  rights,  but  I  wani  you 
not  to  obtrude  yourself  into  my  domain.  You  are 


48  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

my  elder  brother,  but  you  are  destined  to  be  ray 
servant  and  not  my  master." 

True  vocal  science,  then,  acknowledges  and  re- 
spects the  realm  of  physiology,  but  denies  the  use- 
fulness of  the  science  in  construction  as  at  present 
applied  to  vocal  art.  In  distinction  from  physi- 
ology she  declares  for  physical  culture  as  a  most 
important  factor. 

The  human  voice  is  the  audible  manifestation  of 
soul  and  mind  in  the  material  world.  The  imme- 
diate material  vehicle  is  made  up  of  lungs,  larynx, 
and  resonance  chambers  of  the  body.  Voice  culture 
is  the  cultivation  of  the  mind  and  the  ear,  aided 
by  favorable  physical  activities,  which  consequently 
develops  the  physical  parts  involved. 

Let  us  now  consider  the  relation  of  the  science 
of  voice  culture  to  the  art  of  singing. 

Science  is  knowing.  Art  is  doing.  "  All  scien- 
tific method  in  observation  needs  to  be  guarded  in 
its  employment,  as  all  observation  of  phenomena 
is  apt  to  encounter  difficulties,  and  liable  to  engen- 
der mistakes,"  says  George  T.  Ladd  in  his  descrip- 
tive and  explanatory  psychology. 

Nowhere  have  these  mistakes  been  more  in  evi- 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  49 

dence  than  in  the  vocal  field.  The  science  of  physi- 
ology, given  its  proper  place  in  the  consideration 
of  voice  culture,  would  have  been,  and  can  yet  be, 
a  blessing  instead  of  a  curse  to  the  vocal  world. 

Even  those  physiologists  who  admit  the  science 
of  psychology  as  a  valuable  aid  to  the  general 
scheme  of  construction,  fail  to  grasp  the  seemingly 
hidden  truth  that  psychological  influences,  mental 
conception,  imagination,  and  strict  attention  to  the 
end  in  view,  instead  of  the  physiological  truths 
concerned  in  the  process,  should  be  the  first  con- 
sideration. Physiology  enters  merely  as  a  corrob- 
orative witness  to  good  results,  and  as  a  warning 
monitor  in  the  event  of  possible  violation  of  her 
laws — producing  discomfort,  or  ill  effect  of  any 
kind  during  or  consequent  upon  the  production 
of  tones.  When  the  singer  is  in  normal,  healthy 
condition,  and  harsh,  ugly  tones  are  in  evidence, 
unaccompanied  and  not  'followed  by  any  particular 
discomfort,  physiology  need  not  be  referred  to, 
appealed  to,  or  consulted  for  relief — always  ex- 
cepting a  condition  which  requires  medical  or  sur- 
gical attention.  The  remedy  lies  wholly  in  musical 
conception,  idealism,  hearing,  and  ability  to  judge 


50  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

correctly  the  sound  of  one's  own  voice,  and  a  work- 
ing knowledge  of  necessary  physical  activity. 

In  proportion  to  the  singer's  ability  to  hear  and 
judge  his  own  voice  correctly  is  he  able  to  beautify 
his  tones,  and  not  in  any  other  way.  Development 
of  the  singer's  musical  mind  is  of  first  importance. 
Musical  perception,  comprehension,  and  finally, 
musical  judgment  make  for  superlative  ability. 

"A  well  balanced  mind,"  says  Charles  Lunn,1 

% 

"  is  one  in  which  the  three  factors,  memory,  under- 
standing, and  will,  are  approximately  equally  well 
developed."  A  retentive  memory,  a  comprehensive 
understanding,  and  a  well  directed  will-power  are 
the  attributes  of  a  strong  mind.  A  properly 

1  Charles  Lunn  reports  the  following:  "In  the  Month 
for  March,  1893,  appeared  the  statement,  'Every  advance 
which  science  has  made  in  the  various  branches  of  knowl- 
edge, such  as  physiology,  sound,  dynamics,  statics,  etc.,  which 
in  one  way  or  another  relates  to  the  use  of  the  vocal  organs 
has  only  shown  and  proved  with  ever-increasing  force,  the 
truth  of  the  rules  of  the  old  Maestri.'" 

And,  again,  the  Medical  Review,  writing  on  the  subject 
some  years  ago,  said,  "  Accurate  analysis  shows  that  the 
rules  and  practice  of  the  old  masters  were  nothing  more 
than  the  (bringing  about  of)  unconscious,  almost  instinctive 
realization  of  correct  physical  conditions  in  the  vocal  organ. 
Their  system,  therefore,  is  right,  and  the  only  one  which 
can  be  accepted." 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  51 

directed  will-power  is  in  distinction  'from  mule- 
like,  unreasoning  stubbornness,  which  is  rather  a 
proof  of  weak  understanding.  The  will  is  enlight- 
ened by  understanding.  In  singing,  the  will-power 
can  be  used  to  stiffen  the  muscles,  and  also  im- 
properly directed  may  bring  about  involuntary 
stiffening  of  muscles — rigidity.  The  result  is  a 
harsh,  unsympathetic  voice,  because  elasticity  is 
interfered  with,  or  impeded  in  its  proper  action. 
The  will-power  should  not  be  used  to  attempt  to 
compel  bodily  functional  processes.  These  act  nor- 
mally in  response  to  effect  sought.  To  attempt 
to  control  locally  bodily  functions,  is  to  will  cause 
instead  of  effect.  It  is  misdirection  of  will,  a  direct 
violation  of  natural  laws,  and  almost  invari- 
ably results  in  effect  which  is  not  desirable  or 
desired. 

"  There  is  in  all  living  bodies  a  power  called 
*  vital  force,'  of  which  we  are  conscious  only  by 
results.  This  vital  'force  goes  immediately  to  its 
end,  instantaneously  and  directly  in  all  action," 
but  is  not  projected  by  will.  If  we  will 
to  move  the  end  of  a  finger,  we  do  not  think 
along  our  wrist,  although  it  is  quite  possible 


52  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

to  observe  a  muscular  action  in  the  wrist.  This 
phenomena  could  be  physiologically  analyzed,  but 
to  what  purpose?  If  you  wish  to  crush  a  mosquito 
with  the  end  of  your  finger,  you  must  not  stop  to 
inquire  what  muscles  you  should  use.  You  would 
will  the  effect,  and  the  vital  force  would  go  quickly 
to  its  end.  By  any  other  process  the  mosquito 
would  probably  escape.  Just  so  the  voice  gets 
away  from  you  when  for  an  instant  you  lose  sight 
of  the  immediate  effect  in  view,  and  attempt 
directly  to  guide  and  control  the  functional 
process.  Spontaneity  is  checked,  and  the  most 
desirable  effect  is  never  accomplished  along  these 
lines.  So  far  as  the  physical  parts  are  concerned, 
the  larynx  should  take  care  of  itself — neither  held 
up  nor  down  by  direct  conscious  effort.  The 
attempt  to  hold  up  the  soft  palate,  or  uvula,  always 
results  in  local  interference.  Elasticity  and  flexi- 
bility are  unbreakable  laws  where  beautiful,  ex- 
pressive tones  are  concerned. 

The  value  of  the  old  school  was  in  the  teaching, 
which  incidentally  brought  about  correct  adjust- 
ment of  the  parts  involved.  Empirical  instruction, 
that  is,  instruction  given  in  the  light  of  obser- 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  53 

vations  of  phenomena  as  they  occurred,  was  the 
general  method,  if  it  can  be  so  called. 

"Sing  on  the  breath,"  "Support  the  tone," 
and  "  Sing  forward,"  did  not  mean  to  hurry,  or 
to  force  the  breath  upward  and  outward,  or  to 
stiffen  the  body,  or  to  drive  the  voice  forward. 
"  Canta  naturale,  come  si  parla,"  meant  to  sing 
naturally,  as  you  speak.  "  Supportare  la  voce!  " 
meant  to  support  the  voice,  that  is,  to  keep  it 
going  and  not  to  weaken.  "  Fuori  la  voce,"  meant 
"  Out  with  the  voice."  The  combination  could  only 
mean,  "  let  the  voice  pour  out  supported  by  the 
breath  in  natural  exhalation."  "  Appogglare  la 
voce  in  testa,"  and  "  Appoggiare  la  voce  sid  petto," 
meant,  "  Lean  the  voice  in  the  head  or  on  the  chest." 
"  Metier  la  voce  pin  in  testa"  or  "  Piu  srd 
petto"  indicated  and  implied  the  idea  of  admixture 
and  proportion  in  effect — tonal  balance — and  the 
old  school  accomplished  the  desired  effect,  barring 
impossible  subjects.  Note  that  the  attention  of 
the  student  was  always  directed  to  the  voice,  and 
not  to  the  producing  mechanism.  The  terms  arose 
undoubtedly  from  the  impression  and  consciousness 
of  resonance  in  the  head  and  chest.  They  are  not 


64  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

scientific  terms,  physiologically  speaking,  but  the 
old  and  successful  school  was  not  one  which  took 
into  consideration  the  science  of  physiology  further 
than  practically  to  avoid  breaking  its  laws,  and 
this  it  did  more  effectively  than  the  modern  schools, 
which  are  avowedly  based  on  physiological  prin- 
ciples. 

"  L'ltaliano  non  ha  gola,"  means  that  the  "  Ital- 
ian has  no  throat."  Its  import  is  that  the  Italian 
has  no  consciousness  of  physical  effort  in  the  throat 
while  singing. 

The  empirical  system  of  the  old  school  was  effec- 
tive in  obtaining  good  results,  and  had  the  old 
school  been  fortified  and  made  impregnable  by  its 
reduction  to  scientific  principles,  instead  of  ignor- 
ing the  true  import  of  the  meaning  intended,  all 
would  have  been  well,  and  in  all  probability  prog- 
ress in  the  old  art  o'f  singing  would  still  have  been 
uninterrupted.  As  it  is,  we  have  all  been  hope- 
lessly confused  and  buffeted  about  by  the  introduc- 
tion into  our  constructive  workshop  of  a  science, 
which,  in  its  present  application,  strikes  at  the  very 
life  of  normal  healthy  vocal  activity  and  develop- 
ment. 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  55 

Physiology  and  anatomy  have  nothing  whatever 
to  do  with  correct  synthesis  of  voice  production, 
except  to  define  what  can  be  done  and  what  cannot 
be  done  without  producing  physically  injurious 
results. 

Illustrating  the  truth  of  this  statement,  by  far 
the  most  important  science,  so  far  as  usefulness 
to  voice  construction  is  concerned,  is  natural  phi- 
losophy or  psychology.  This  was  the  living  prin- 
ciple of  the  old  and  successful  school  of  singing, 
from  the  year  1600  to  1750  or  thereabout ;  but  the 
principles  were  not  scientifically  defined.  Criti- 
cally, it  was  somewhat  weakened  by  calling  atten- 
tion to  the  process.  "  Sing  on  the  breath,"  2  and 

*For  all  practical  purposes  1120  feet  per  second  is  the 
average  rate  at  which  sound  travels  in  air,  regardless  of 
temperature.  The  breath  of  the  singer  merely  sets  the  cords 
vibrating  which  in  turn  develop  sound-waves — voice. 

The  doctrine  of  the  conversion  of  breath  into  tone  is, 
therefore,  fallacious,  a  theory  exploded  by  science.  The  idea 
of  "singing  on  the  breath"  originated  on  account  of  the 
simultaneous  impressions  of  sound,  and  breath  in  exhalation, 
experienced  by  the  singer.  Notwithstanding  this  ignorance 
of  the  sciences  of  physiology  and  acoustics  on  the  part  of 
the  old  masters,  the  development  of  voice  and  the  act  of 
singing  flourished,  which  is  a  positive  indication  that  knowl- 
edge of  these  sciences  has  little  to  do  with  the  making  of  a 
singer. 


56  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

"  Open  the  throat,"  are  not  the  strongest  factors 
of  the  early  empirical  system  of  instruction.  As  a 
matter  of  fact,  these  two  admonitions  are  scientifi- 
cally alien  factors  and  represent  the  weakness  of  the 
old  school  considered  as  a  consistent  theoretical 
structure.  In  a  truly  scientific  school,  attention 
should  not  be  called)  to  the  breath  in  its  natural 
process  of  producing  tone,  with  a  view  to  gaining 
conscious  control  of  the  breath.  Nor  should  in- 
struction be  given  to  open  the  throat.  The  mean- 
ing is  perfectly  understood  by  experienced  singers, 
but  actually  there  is  the  danger  of  interfering  with 
the  normal  operation  of  the  breath,  and  exagger- 
ated unnatural  opening  of  the  throat.  That  part 
of  the  throat  which  ought  to  open  will  do  so  much 
more  satisfactorily  under  instruction  to  enunciate 
the  vowel  and  pronounce  the  word  freely,  distinctly, 
and  without  restraint.  Furthermore,  in  this  man- 
ner there  is  no  danger  of  degenerating  into  arti- 
ficiality. 

What  is  generally  understood  as  scientific  voice 
culture  is  mechanical  guidance  of  the  voice  by  pay- 
ing attention  to  the  physical  parts  involved,  based 
on  what  is  known  of  physiology  and  anatomy. 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  57 

Differences  of  opinion  about  these  matters  have 
given  rise  to  endless  and  useless  discussions.  As  a 
consequence,  the  science  of  physiology,  which  really 
has  the  least  to  do  with  the  art  of  singing,  is  made 
to  masquerade  as  the  chief  bulwark  of  a  so-called 
vocal  science.  The  present  vocal  science  is  actually 
unscientific,  and  the  term  is  a  misnomer.  True 
vocal  science  is  known  to  the  few,  but  it  has  not 
been  properly  christened.  Those  who  pay  too  much 
attention  to  physiology  often  find  themselves  in 
as  ludicrous  a  position  as  the  man  who,  moved  by 
patriotic  fervor,  came  to  weep  at  the  tomb  of 
Washington. 

The  guard  approaching  said  to  him  "  Friend, 
why  weepest  thou?  " 

"  Sir,"  replied  the  patriot  in  mild  rebuke,  "  this 
is  the  tomb  of  Washington." 

"  No,"  said  the  guard,  "  the  tomb  of  Washing- 
ton is  over  yonder.  This  is  the  ice  house." 

All  that  is  necessary  to  restore  voice  culture  to 
its  ancient  and  successful  platform  is,  first,  to  elim- 
inate this  destructive  penchant  for  mechanical 
guidance  and  sycophantic  bowing  and  scraping  to 
physiology  and  anatomy,  and  then  reduce  the  vital 


68  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

principle  of  the  old  school  to  scientific,  unmistak- 
able terms,  which  will  truly  represent  the  real  basis 
on  which  it  formerly  stood. 

So-called  vocal  science  has  for  its  sponsor  the 
science  of  physiology,  and  its  offspring  the  me- 
chanical schools  of  voice  production.  The  prin- 
ciples on  which  it  relies  are  destructive  rather  than 
constructive. 

Physiology  herself  revolts  at  the  distortion  of 
truth  in  the  principles  of  the  mechanical  schools, 
and  shows  her  displeasure  in  the  tired,  aching,  con- 
gested throats  and  strident,  discordant  tones  of 
its  votaries. 

The  principle  which  brought  about  the  change 
from  the  command  of  voice  (the  end)  to  the  com- 
mand of  the  process  of  production,  may  be  consid- 
ered the  destroying  agent.  In  other  words,  the 
change  from  the  psychological  to  the  physiological 
basis  as  of  primary  consideration,  and  of  first  im- 
portance, I  diagnose  as  the  fatal  change.  What- 
ever (decline  the  old  school  might  have  suffered  is 
accounted  for  by  the  gradual  growth  and  conse- 
quent preponderance  of  consideration  for,  and 
attention  to,  the  process  rather  than  the  end — to 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  59 

the  physical  vehicle  of  voice  rather  than  the  voice 
itself  as  appreciated  by  the  ear. 

This  growth  has  been  insidious,  and  the  destroy- 
ing germ  has  permeated  the  whole  labyrinth  of 
vocal  art,  like  a  cankerous  worm  or  a  destroying 
monster  reaching  out  with  octopus-like  tentacles 
and  withering  the  very  soul  of  vocal  life. 

The  proper  study  of  voice  is  voice,  and  voice 
is  the  audible  manifestation  of  the  soul.  Knowl- 
edge and  appreciation  of  its  source  is  the  basis  of 
true  vocal  science,  and  on  true  vocal  science  only 
can  the  art  of  singing  securely  rest. 

PSYCHOLOGICAL  AND  PHYSIOLOGICAL 
VIEWS  OF  VOCAL  TRAINING 

FROM  the  standpoint  of  the  psychologist,  it 
makes  a  very  interesting  proposition  that  we  should 
entertain  no  consideration  of  the  physiological 
aspect  during  vocal  training. 

From  the  standpoint  of  the  physiologist,  an 
equally  interesting  but  distinctly  less  acceptable 
proposition  is  that  we  have  to  deal  mainly  with  the 
physiology  of  the  voice  during  the  voice  training 
period.  Curiously  enough,  it  seems  to  have  been 


60  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

overlooked  that  while  we  retain  our  mental  facul- 
ties, mind  and  body  are  indissolubly  united. 

Now,  having  taken  cognizance  of  this  evident 
oversight  on  the  part  of  some  contending  partisans, 
we  should  remind  ourselves  that  the  supremacy  of 
mind  over  matter  is  a  well-established  scientific 
truth.  Psychology  is  the  science  of  the  facts  or 
states  of  consciousness  as  such,  and  thus  of  the 
self  or  mind  [The  things  which  psychology  studies 
are  attention,  perception,  thought,  memory,  feel- 
ing, imagination,  planning  and  choosing — discrim- 
ination— and  the  exercise  of  the  will  power. 

Psychology  as  applied  to  the  art  o'f  singing  in- 
cludes a  sense  of  physical  activities,  as  well  as 
divine  idealism  and  conception.  It  is  the  first 
factor  for  consideration  in  training  the  voice,  be- 
cause mental  conception  of  some  kind  should  always 
precede  execution.  In  learning  to  sing,  if  the  con- 
sideration of  the  physiological  condition  is  made 
the  chief  object,  the  real  goal  of  artistic  expression 
is  entirely  overlooked ;  or,  at  least,  a  serious — yes, 
an  almost  impassable  barrier  to  artistic  success  has 
been  erected.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  the  consider- 
ation of  soulful  or  even  intelligent  expression  is 


THE!  LOST  VOCAL  ART  61 

made  the  chief  object,  the  chances  are  much  more 
favorable  to  success.  Certain  physiological  con- 
ditions are  necessary,  but  such  conditions  are 
purely  resultant.  The  chief  consideration  should 
be  to  bear  in  mind  that  in  order  to  produce  the 
best  results,  it  is  necessary  for  the  singer  to  be  in  a 
healthy  condition,  so  that  the  functional  processes 
will  act  normally  under  proper  .guidance. 

The  strength,  comprehensiveness,  and  quality 
of  thought  regarding  effect  desired  preceding  the 
physical  action,  determines  in  the  largest  degree 
the  success  of  that  action.  This  is  in  the  natural 
order  of  things  in  general,  and  should  be  recognized 
in  particular  by  teachers  and  singers  alike,  in  prac- 
tical voice  training.  The  vocal  mechanism  devel- 
ops naturally  under  sane,  healthy  vocal  exercise, 
guided  by  the  ear  and  the  musical  sense.  The  real- 
ization of  mechanical  ease  in  delivery  should  be 
ever  present. 

If  this  mechanical  ease  in  delivery  does  not 
accompany  the  conception  of  correct  tone,  it  may 
be  safely  assumed  that  the  ear  needs  training. 
Beautiful  tone  and  mechanical  ease  in  tone-produc- 
tion are  inseparable.  In  the  art  of  singing,  as  in 


62  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

all  other  arts,  the  leading  influence  is  the  mental 
conception.  Following  the  action  is  the  judgment 
of  effect  which  is  the  discriminating  monitor. 

Analytically,  under  correct  conditions,  the  ma- 
terial vehicle — the  mechanism  of  the  voice — invol- 
untarily adjusts  itself  automatically  to  the  require- 
ment of  the  preconceived  desired  effect. 

The  blunderings  of  the  ambitious  physiologists 
who  are  not  singers,  and  who  contend  that  the 
attention  to  the  development  and  direct  control 
of  certain  muscles  or  sets  of  muscles — which  are, 
in  fact,  in  operation  during  the  execution  of  song — 
is  all-sufficient,  originate  in  a  lack  of  understand- 
ing of  the  psychological  phase  of  the  matter. 
Good  vocalists  are  seldom  found  among  people  who 
entertain  such  views. 

For  a  singer,  first  of  all,  musical  talent  is  an 
absolute  necessity.  "  Voce,  voee,  voce"  is  not 
all-sufficient.  The  amount  of  musical  talent  neces- 
sary to  success  depends  upon  its  relation  to  the 
amount  and  distribution  of  talent  and  development 
in  other  contemporaneous  singers.  Hence  the 
standard  of  musical  development  and  vocal  equip- 
ment necessary  to  success  is  variable. 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  63 

It  must  be  remembered  that  musical  talent  is 
subject  to  the  same  possibility,  only  to  a  very 
much  greater  extent.  The  development  of  the 
parts  involved,  aided  by  certain  physical  consid- 
erations, can  always  be  depended  upon  to  follow 
the  development  of  musical  appreciation. 

Physical  development  of  the  vocal  apparatus  is 
very  largely  coincident  with,  and  a  natural  conse- 
quence of,  vocal  training,  which  must  primarily  be 
directed  along  the  lines  of  musical  conception. 

Analytically,  vocal  sounds  are  produced  by 
the  vocal  cords  stretched  by  the  insensible  influence 
of  the  will.  The  breath  passes  up  through  the 
space  between  the  vocal  cords  called  the  glottis. 
The  action  of  the  breath  sets  in  vibration  the  vocal 
cords.  The  sound  waves  produced  by  these  vibra- 
tions, are  augmented  by  the  resonance  cavities  of 
nose,  throat  and  mouth.3  The  compound  sound 
consisting  of  fundamental  and  overtones  represents 
the  individual  voice  which  may  be  musical  or  other- 

•The  shock  of  the  glottis  is  a  term  which  has  been  used 
by  scientists  to  indicate  the  initial  action  of  the  breath  upon 
the  vocal  cords.  This  term  has  been  appropriated  by  vocal 
teachers  with  harmful  effects,  as  too  much  violence  and 
force  is  usually  applied  as  a  consequence  of  the  suggestion. 


64  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

wise,  primarily  depending  upon  the  regularity  of 
vibrations.  Pitch  is  determined  by  the  length, 
thickness,  tension  and  rapidity  of  vibration  of  the 
vocal  cords.  Volume  depends  largely  upon  the 
quantity  of  air  which  goes  through  the  larynx  in  a 
given  time,  influencing  the  amplitude  of  vibrations 
of  the  cords.  The  loudness  or  intensity  of  sound  as 
explained  by  Dr.  Brewer,  the  eminent  authority 
on  acoustics,  "  is  proportionate  to  the  force  of 
the  shock  the  air  receives,  the  density  of  the 
medium  through  which  the  sound  waves  pass,  the 
uniformity  of  that  medium,  the  absence  of  obstacles 
to  interrupt  the  progress  of  the  sound  waves  and 
the  proximity  of  the  auditor  to  the  original  source 
of  sound.  The  character  of  sound  is  largely  deter- 
mined by  the  form,  magnitude  and  density  of  the 
sounding  body,  the  method  by  which  it  is  executed 
and  the  comparative  force  of  the  power  by  which 
it  is  set  in  motion." 

Individuality  of  tone  in  any  voice  is  due  to  the 
fact  that  all  sounds  practically  are  compound,  not 
simple  sounds.  The  quality  and  character  of  the 
vocal  sounds  depend  upon  the  number  and  inten- 
sity of  their  components.  LThe  vibration  of  the 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  65 

cords,  both  full  length  and  in  segments  producing 
fundamental  and  partial  or  over  tones,  develops 
tone  waves  amplified  by  the  resonance  cavities.  The 
greatest  influence  upon  tone  individuality,  however, 
is  the  mind  and  mental  attitude  of  the  singer. 
It  is  undoubtedly  true  as  Dr.  Brewer  states,  that 
"  the  force  of  the  voice  is  increased  by  opening  the 
mouth,  flattening  the  tongue,  causing  the  velum 
palati  at  the  back  of  the  mouth  to  contract,  thus 
making  the  passage  larger  " — but  the  most  signifi- 
cant statement  as  effecting  the  singer  is,  that  all 
these  conditions  are  either  dependent  on  the  will 
(direct  control),  or  subject  to  guiding  emotions,  or 
influenced  by  passing  ideas,  through  the  operation 
of  automatic  changes.  "  Man  can  lower  his  voice 
at  one  moment  into  a  whisper,  elevate  it  at  another 
into  a  yell,  pour  into  it  the  fervor  of  passion  and 
declamation,  or  modulate  it  into  the  medium  tone 
of  social  intercourse  and  general  conversation." 
Direct  control  represents  the  mechanical  school 
and  should  receive  no  consideration  from  singers, 
as  it  leads  to  anything  but  the  means  of  artistic 
expression.  The  action  of  the  vocal  muscles  and 
acoustic  conditions,  can  be  analyzed  by  scientists 


66  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

until  doomsday  without  coming  one  whit  nearer  the 
solution  of  the  problem  of  correct  synthesis  in  vocaj 
development,  until  the  psychological  phase  of  the 
matter  is  given  the  first  consideration. 

The  training  of  the  singing  voice,  as  well  as  the 
training  of  the  speaking  voice,  we  find,  is  best 
accomplished  under  the  general  laws  of  psycho- 
logical control.  The'muscular  operations  are  sub- 
ject to  physiological  and  anatomical  analysis; 
but,  under  the  same  law  that  the  sense  of  sight  di- 
rects any  action  of  the  hand  or  foot  in  bringing 
about  any  desired  result,  the  sense  of  hearing,  if 
properly  exercised,  directs  the  physical  operations 
of  the  vocal  organs.  Attentively  listening  to 
one's  own  voice  promotes  the  development  of  the 
correct  muscles  for  the  production  of  the  sounds 
which  agree  with  our  mental  conception  and  judg- 
ment of  what  is  correct  in  effect.  In  forming  this 
judgment,  the  singer  is  in  a  very  large  degree 
dependent  upon  the  musical  judgment  of  some 
other  person  or  persons,  for  the  reason  that  his 
voice« does  not  sound  to  himself  as  it  does  to  others. 
The  individual  cannot  at  first  be  the  sole  judge  of 
the  comparative  beauty  of  the  quality  or  intensity 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  67 

of  his  own  tones,  unaided  by  some  other  person, 
be  he  ever  so  expert  as  a  tone  critic,  because  in  the 
very  nature  of  the  condition  he  is  not  in  a  position 
to  hear  his  own  voice  as  others  hear  it.  However, 
assuming  that  the  singer  has  fine  musical  percep- 
tion and  judgment  o'f  vocal  sounds  produced  by 
others,  he  is  in  much  better  position  to  develop 
rapidly  than  the  individual  whose  musical  percep- 
tions and  judgment  are  inferior,  either  from  lack 
of  intuitive  ability  or  acquired  competency;  be- 
cause, hi3  attention  being  directed  to  what  is  good, 
better  or  best  in  his  voice,  he  is  better  able  to  con- 
trol his  own  vocal  utterances  than  a  person  of  in- 
ferior musical  ability.  In  fact,  almost  any  good 
musician  can  readily  learn  to  sing  well  and  to  pro- 
duce beautiful  tones.  In  cases  where  what  is  known 
as  beautiful  voice  exists  naturally,  the  act  of  sing- 
ing is  easily  acquired,  provided  that  the  attention 
of  the  singer  is  directed  to  the  excellence,  as  well 
as  to  the  shortcomings  of  his  own  natural  produc- 
tion. The  physical  conditions  are  favorable  to 
good  tones,  and  the  skill  of  singing  is  easily 
acquired  by  the  canto  fig-urato,  i.e.,  different  musi- 
cal figures  or  vocal  exercises  which  are  favorable 


68  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

to  the  acquiring  of  facility  in  singing.  Practice  is 
all  that  is  necessary,  guided  by  the  attention  of 
one's  self  to  one's  own  voice.  The  work  of  the  vocal 
teacher  in  such  cases  is  comparatively  easy.  At- 
tention to  proper  inspiration,  and  the  correct 
physical  poise  and  mental  attitude  of  the  singer, 
are  all  that  is  necessary.  In  cases  when  what  is 
known  as  natural  beautiful  voice  does  not  exist,  the 
development  calls  for  the  expert  guidance  of  the 
competent  vocal  teacher.  It  is  my  firm  conviction, 
resulting  'from  many  years  of  experience  in  train- 
ing voices,  that  almost  anyone  possessing  musical 
talent  can  develop  a  fine  voice  and  acquire  the  art 
of  singing.  The  inherent  desire  of  the  musical 
soul  to  express  itself  through  the  medium  of  the 
voice,  aided  by  the  knowledge  in  the  possession  of 
every  expert  vocal  teacher,  makes  it  entirely  within 
the  range  of  reasonable  possibility.  It  is  true  that 
the  so-called  making  of  voice  calls  in  many  in- 
stances for  the  exercise  of  great  patience,  perse- 
verance, and  indomitable  will  on  the  part  of  both 
teacher  and  pupil ;  but  when  the  desire  to  accom- 
plish is  sufficient,  coupled  with  steadfastness  of 
purpose,  the  end  can  never  be  in  doubt. 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  69 

It  is  entirely  probable  that  the  majority  of  the 
more  advanced  thinkers  to-d,ay  are  those  who 
believe  in  a  general  way  that  the  true  basic  prin- 
ciple underlying  the  singer's  art  is  psycho  rather 
than  physico,  but  who  doubt  the  efficacy  of  the 
first  alone  to  accomplish  the  best  ends.  There  has 
been  a  gradual  change  of  opinion  during  the  past 
quarter  of  a  century,  and  particularly  during  the 
past  decade,  regarding  the  physiological  phase  of 
the  matter,  due  largely  to  the  result  of  teaching 
along  the  lines  of  what  may  be  termed  local  action 
or  the  mechanical  school;  that  is,  giving  primary 
attention  to  the  physical  parts  involved,  and  will- 
ing the  process  rather  than  the  end.  The  result 
of  such  investigation  and  teaching  has  everywhere 
proved  unsatisfactory  except  in  isolated  cases. 
These  exceptions  may  be  said  to  have  proven  the 
rule.  It  is  an  open  question,  however,  whether 
the  few  singers  representing  such  methods  have  not 
made  their  mark  in  spite  o'f  their  accepted  theor- 
ies, and  whether  they  would  not  be  better  artists 
if  their  ideas  about  mechanical  guidance  were  laid 
aside.  The  art  of  singing  is  the  art  of  self-expres- 
sion. The  art  of  mechanical  guidance  of  the  vocal 


70  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

mechanism  is  not.  This  latter  art,  nevertheless, 
has  been  very  generally  acquired  during  the  age  of 
retrogression.  The  decline  of  the  vocal  art  from 
the  high  standard  of  the  golden  age  is  a  fact  and 
a  matter  of  history.  Those  who  have  passed  a  num- 
ber of  years  in  the  great  musical  centres  of  the 
world,  and  have  observed  and  taken  part  in  the 
ambitious  struggle  for  vocal  supremacy,  know  that 
general  failure  has  crowned  the  efforts  of  the  vast 
majority  of  the  participants.  These  have  failed 
to  reach  the  goal  of  moderate  success,  not  through 
the  lack  of  musical  ability  nor  the  lack  of  a  natur- 
ally good  organ  of  sound,  but  to  a  very  large 
extent  through  the  inadequacy  of  present-day 
methods  of  training. 

Leaving  aside  the  instances,  by  no  means  un- 
common, of  voices  which  have  been  hopelessly 
ruined  during  the  process  of  cultivation,  we  have 
for  consideration  the  alarming  number  of  voices 
which  have  become  harsh,  hard,  and  inexpressive 
as  a  result  of  vocal  training,  both  in  Europe  and 
America.  There  is  no  reason  for  any  voice  to  be- 
come harsh  and  discordant  during  the  training 
period,  if  guided  by  skilful  instructors,  who  are 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  71 

not  benighted  and  befuddled  by  popular  fallacies 
regarding  voice  culture.  Theories  and  practice 
in  the  course  of  vocal  training  must  be  harmonious. 
The  one  must  not  belie  the  other,  if  systems  are  to 
become  reliable.  Empirical  and  scientific  instruc- 
tion should  not  clash.  If  empirical  instruction 
brings  favorable  results,  it  should  be  reduced  to 
scientific  principles  in  order  that  it  may  become 
a  rock  of  vocal  ages. 

Inasmuch  as  the  art  of  song  is  an  art  of  vocal 
expression  of  human  ideas,  emotional  and  other- 
wise, the  first  care  must  assuredly  be,  not  to  depart 
from  a  line  of  practical  procedure  which  has  con- 
stantly in  view  this  most  important  fact*  Ideally, 
singing  is  musical  vocal  expression,  and  the  criti- 
cism of  singing  to-day,  generally  speaking,  is  that 
it  is  not  this.  It  is  something  quite  foreign.  It  has 
degenerated  into  attempts  to  make  tones  in  accord- 
ance with  some  method  for  inducing  quantity,  re- 
sulting for  the  most  part  in  noises  loud  and 
strident. 

Seemingly,  it  matters  not  whether  high  notes  are 
agreeable  and  expressive  so  long  as  they  are  in 
tune  and  powerful.  Screeching,  strained,  fear- 


72  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

stricken  high  notes  are  tolerated  and  even  ap- 
plauded by  a  public  which  has  learned  to  expect 
these  things,  because  it  is  of  common  occurrence 
to  receive  such  offerings  from  public  singers.  Of 
course  the  "  dear  public  "  is  conscious  of  the  dif- 
ference when  here  and  there  a  bright  star  rises  in 
the  vocal  firmament  and  sings  the  music  without 
inflicting  the  soul-harrowing  noises  upon  it.  And 
so  idealism  is  not  destroyed,  and  certain  standards 
of  vocal  excellence  remain.  The  few  truly  vocal 
artists  are  living  examples  of  what  is  possible. 
Popularly,  it  is  supposed  that  these  most  accept- 
able exponents  of  the  art  of  singing  were  endowed 
with  very  exceptional  roices  and  talents  not  the 
gifts  of  their  less  fortunate  confreres.  In  a  sense 
this  is  true,  but  not  to  the  extent  of  general  sup- 
position. Almost  all  the  shining  lights  of  opera, 
'oratorio,  and  song  recitals  have  been  for  years  per- 
sistent and  painstaking  students  of  their  art.  Long 
and  endless  devotion  has  been  the  price  of  genuine, 
lasting  success — often  in  cases  where  superior  nat- 
ural vocal  mezzi  was  wanting.  The  attributes  of 
patience,  perseverance,  and  self-denial  in  the  mat- 
ter of  indulgence  in  habits  which  less  serious  stu- 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  73 

dents  often  acquire,  has  been  not  the  least  import- 
ant factor  in  the  accounting. 

On  the  other  hand,  many  aspirants  who  can 
justly  claim  the  virtues  of  the  serious  student  of 
song  arrive  at  no  practical  realization  of  their 
dreams,  and  the  cause  o'f  such  failure  does  not 
seem  to  be  apparent.  Given  musical  knowledge, 
intelligence,  and  the  quick  feeling  and  appreciation 
known  as  temperament,  the  conscientious  student 
possessing  a  good  voice  should  succeed  to  some 
appreciable  degree.  An  explanation  is  at  hand. 
In  exactly  the  degree  to  which  the  attention  to  the 
detail  of  the  physical  process  of  tone-formation  in 
modern  voice  culture  overshadows  the  natural  ten- 
dency to  express  one's  ideals  normally,  to  such  de- 
gree are  successful  results  jeopardized  or  made  im- 
possible. This  is  entirely  irrespective  of  the  par- 
ticular dogma  used  in  the  vocal  training.  Inherent 
common-sense  frequently  asserts  itself,  and  false 
doctrines  are  not  always  able  entirely  to  upset  the 
instinctive  and  subconscious  promptings  of  nature. 
In  such  event,  the  student  may  be  said  to  succeed 
in  spite  of  avowedly  accepted  doctrines. 

The  strangest  part  of  it  all  is  that  credit  for 


74  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

success  is  frequently  given  to  doctrines  which  might 
have  caused  dire  distress  and  hopeless  inefficiency. 

Take,  for  instance,  the  popular  doctrine  of 
breath  control.  If  the  control  of  the  tone  is 
actually  governed  by  the  ear,  and  results  are  satis- 
factory to  the  vocal  teacher  in  charge  of  the  case, 
the  student  may  escape  the  penalty  of  wrong  mus- 
cular development  which  would  naturally  occur 
under  the  false  idea  of  actual  direct  breath  control. 
Frequently,  Nature  asserts  herself  and  satisfying 
results  occur,  which  for  the  time  being  avert  an 
impending  catastrophe.  The  wrong  principle  in 
instruction  sometimes  happily  fails  to  take  root, 
as  the  assassin's  bullet  goes  wide  of  the  mark. 

The  singer  goes  on,  possibly  handicapped  by  the 
entertaining  of  ideas  which  do  not  make  for  best 
results,  but  which  are,  happily,  not  sufficiently  well 
applied  to  compass  a  complete  downfall.  A  par- 
ticularly strong,  finely  bred  horse  will  sometimes 
win  a  race,  though  outrageously  overweighted. 

So  much  for  the  contemplation  of  conditions  as 
weighed  in  the  balance  and  found  wanting,  or  other- 
wise. The  purpose  of  all  intelligent  seekers  after 
truth  is  to  discover,  if  possible,  the  size  and  char- 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  75 

acter  of  adverse  influences  as  well  as  influences 
which  promote  normal,  healthy,  and  desirable  con- 
ditions. The  evidence  that  psychology  was  the 
fundamental  though  unfortunately  unnamed  prin- 
ciple of  the  old  school,  may  be  termed  circumstan- 
tial ;  negatively  proven  by  the  absence  of  any  other 
principle  in  the  records  of  instruction  as  found  in 
the  works  of  early  writings,  and  positively  proven 
by  traditional  precepts  as  handed  down  by  word 
of  mouth  and  reduced  to  this  scientific  principle. 
The  physiological  idea  of  the  present-day  his- 
torians and  conjectural  writers  indicates  that  they 
have  arrived  at  the  conclusion  that  there  is  a  mis- 
sing link  somewhere.  Something  must  have  been 
lost,  according  to  their  way  of  thinking,  because 
the  old  masters  did  not  tell  you  what  to  do.  There 
is  nothing  in  their  literature  to  show  that  they  did 
something  with  the  physical  parts  involved.  The 
logical  conclusion  is  that  either  they  did  not  record 
this  Something  which  they  did  or  counselled  to  be 
done  (and,  if  so,  something  has  indeed  been  lost), 
or  else  that  they  never  did  anything  directly  and 
purposefully  with  these  very  parts.  The  latter 
conclusion  offers  the  most  tenable  ground  for  future 


76  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

discussion,  and  in  the  author's  opinion  represents 
the  actual  state  of  the  case.  Granting  this  to  be 
a  correct  deduction,  there  is  no  difficulty  in  resur- 
recting the  lost  vocal  art. 

Analytically,  the  size,  form,  and  adjustment  of 
the  organ  of  sound  is  different  in  every  individual 
voice,  at  any  given  pitch. 

The  quality  is  dependent  not  only  on  physical 
environment,  but  on  the  soulful  animus,  the  creative 
faculty  in  the  imagination;  in  short,  the  condition 
of  the  mind.  The  physical  condition  of  rigidity  or 
flexible  firmness  of  the  physical  parts  involved  is 
largely  resultant  upon  the  influence  of  mental  con- 
ditions. This  leads  us  to  the  consideration  of  the 
important  fundamental  factor  of  idealism,  mental 
conception,  or  imagination. 

If  in  the  psychological  phase  of  the  matter  the 
direction  of  the  ideas  is  toward  the  control  o'f  the 
material  part  of  the  voice,  we  have  clipped  the 
wings  of  vocal  possibilities.  The  voice  normally 
expresses  pain,  pleasure,  joy,  sorrow,  exultation, 
longing,  satisfaction,  pity,  disdain  and  all  soulful 
emotions.  The  voice  is  the  vehicle  of  expression 
and  the  strength  or  weakness  of  the  imagination 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  77 

is  a  most  important  factor  as  influencing  the 
strength  or  weakness  of  soul-expression.  From  the 
physiological  standpoint,  certain  muscles  respond, 
and  under  well  defined  laws  of  development  grow 
and  increase  in  their  physical  ability.  The  observa- 
tion of  nature's  way  of  doing  things  has  thrown  us 
off  the  scent,  so  to  speak.  We  have  lost  sight  of  the 
fact  that  the  will-power,  prompted  by  the  imagina- 
tion, must  be  directed  to  the  end  sought  and  not  to 
the  process  of  the  physical  vocal  phenomenon  as  it 
is  observed  to  occur,  or  as  it  is  supposed  to  occur. 
Here  is  the  parting  of  the  ways.  The  considera- 
tion of  the  physical  process  with  the  idea  of  directly 
controlling  that  process,  basing  our  right  to  do 
so  upon  the  fact  that  certain  physiological  con- 
ditions are  in  evidence  during  the  phonation  of  cer- 
tain sounds,  is  the  crying  evil  of  the  day.  It  repre- 
sents the  rocks  and  shoals  upon  which  most  of  the 
vocal  ships  have  foundered  and  gone  to  the  bottom. 
It  represents  the  superfluous  and  unnecessary 
handicap  under  which  many  a  partially  disabled 
vocal  ship  is  sailing.  It  is  the  much-to-be-dreaded 
vocal  Nemesis  of  the  present  day. 

Complete   vocal-emancipation   will   come   when 


78  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

the  truth  is  borne  in  upon  all  singers  that  the 
physical  obeys  the  mental  conception,  if  the  will  is 
exerted  to  the  accomplishment  of  the  desired  end. 
There  are  of  course  physical  limitations,  but  these 
need  not  be  anticipated  or  prematurely  considered. 
,They  make  themselves  known  soon  enough,  and 
when  they  do  it  is  time  enough  to  regulate  your 
vocal  conduct  so  as  not  to  offend  Dame  Nature. 

The  leavening  manna  of  common-sense  will  pre- 
vent many  a  serious  blunder.  If  common-sense 
reigns,  no  basso  profundo  will  attempt  to  sing  a 
high  soprano  role  in  opera.  Less  obvious  violations 
of  nature's  laws  can  also  be  avoided  by  just  exer- 
cising common-sense. 

The  consideration  of  favorable  physical  con- 
ditions to  beautiful  expressive  tonal  emission  must 
not  be  confounded  with  physiological  considera- 
tions. There  is  a  distinction  and  a  difference  which 
are  highly  important  in  the  practical  working-out. 
Allowing  the  mind  to  wander  or  compelling  the 
mind  to  take  cognizance  of  and  dwell  upon  the 
phenomenon  as  it  occurs  detracts  from  the  success 
of  the  undertaking ;  principally  because  it  is  found 
to  be  practically  impossible  to  express  any  human 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  79 

emotion  with  soulful  interest  and  at  the  same  time 
to  be  busily  engaged  in  attempting  mechanically 
to  adjust  the  physical  parts  involved.  Such  pro- 
ceedings are  contrary  to  the  obvious  law  of  vocal 
expression  in  song.  The  mechanism  of  the  voice 
develops  strength  and  general  physical  ability  in 
response  to  the  mental  conception  or  the  musical 
end  in  view,  aided  by  physical  conditions  which  are 
found  to  be  favorable  and  which  require  only  a  very 
minor  consideration.  Attention  to  detail  in  the 
physical  phenomenon  is  embarrassing,  superfluous 
and  unnecessary.  It  detracts  from  the  main  pur- 
pose, and  if  carried  to  extremes,  as  is  frequently 
the  case,  is  not  only  subversive,  but  actually  renders 
impossible  the  accomplishment  of  the  desired  end. 
The  psycho-physico  process  represents  the  nat- 
ural line  of  vocal  development — not  the  psycho- 
physiological  or  anatomical.  To  argue  that  the 
instrument  must  first  be  put  in  order  before  it  is 
played  upon,  is  to  advance  an  argument  utterly 
fallacious,  because  it  presupposes  that  the  vocal 
instrument  bears  the  same  relation  to  the  performer 
as  does  the  violin  or  piano,  which  is  not  the  case. 
This  idea,  which  at  first  thought  may  seem  plau- 


80  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

sible  enough,  has  been  found  upon  investigation  to 
be  erroneous.  The  strings  of  the  violin  or  piano 
cannot  by  any  possibility  respond  to  the  will  or 
desire  of  the  artist,  without  being  first  set  up  or 
prepared  by  a  strictly  mechanical  operation. 
These  instruments  are  not  a  part  of  the  living  be- 
ing. In  distinction  from  all  other  instruments, 
the  human  voice  occupies  the  unique  position  o'f 
being  a  part  of  the  living  being,  and  under  well- 
known  psychological  laws  is  or  may  become  attuned 
to  any  condition  without  special  direct  mechanical 
aid.  The  skill  of  handling  the  vehicle  of  sound  in 
the  case  of  any  instrument,  other  than  the  human 
voice,  can  be  developed  without  any  particular 
regard  for  the  wear  and  tear  upon  the  instrument 
in  practice.  The  instrument  worn  out  can  be 
replaced  by  another  as  good  or  better  than  the 
old  one.  Not  so  the  human  voice.  The  imaginary 
necessity  of  treating  the  voice  as  a  mechanical 
instrument,  before  using  it  as  the  means  of  artistic 
expression,  has  caused  the  ruin  of  many  a  voice 
and  seriously  handicapped  many  more. 

Voices   developed   under  the   principles   which 
recognize  the  fact  that  physiological  adjustment 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  81 

is  a  natural  consequence  of  practice  following  the 
correct  idealization,  are  the  ones  that  are  being 
trained  according  to  truly  scientific  principles. 

A  knowledge  of  the  physical  medium  of  voice  is 
not  only  interesting,  but  is  instructive  and  desirable 
for  analytical  reasons. 

Fromi  physiologists  we  learn  that  the  larynx 
contains  the  vocal  cords,  the  vibrators  of  the  vocal 
instrument.  In  order  to  sing  evenly,  smoothly, 
and  effectively,  it  is  absolutely  necessary  that  all 
thought  of  holding  the  larynx  up  or  down,  or  fixed 
in  any  position,  be  abandoned.  During  the  phona- 
tion  of  a  tone  on  any  given  vowel  at  any  given  pitch, 
the  larynx  remains  firm  in  one  position.  In  chang- 
ing pitch  the  larynx  may  change  its  position,  but 
never  should  be  compelled  to  do  so  by  the  will 
of  the  singer.  This  is  one  of  the  things  that  Nature 
insists  upon  doing  for  herself,  without  wilful  inter- 
ference. Involuntary  interference  may  result  from 
several  causes,  and  here  is  where  the  skill  or  lack  of 
skill  in  singers  and  teachers  becomes  manifest  in 
correcting  such  interference.  Suitable  vocal  and 
physical  exercises  to  bring  about  healthy  elasticity 
of  the  muscles  involved  are  what  is  required,  and 


82  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

the  judgment  of  the  ear,  combined  with  the  con- 
sciousness of  physical  ease,  is  the  final  court  of 
appeal. 

It  matters  not  whether  the  cords  are  at  one 
angle  or  another,  whether  they  are  long  or  short, 
thick  or  thin,  tense  or  otherwise,  or  how  they 
approximate ;  these  are  not  questions  for  considera- 
tion in  the  synthesis  of  voice. 

Physiologists  tell  us  that  between  the  true  and 
the  false  vocal  cords  or  bands  are  two  sacs  on 
either  side,  capable  of  inflation  and  expansion  by 
air,  known  as  the  ventricles  of  Morgagni.  It  is 
a  problem  of  physiology,  and  whatever  influence 
they  may  have  upon  sound  is  a  question  involving 
the  science  of  acoustics,  very  interesting1  to  know 
about  and  to  discuss,  but  having  no  bearing  upon 
the  problem  of  the  synthesis  of  voice  production. 
Analytically,  it  is  most  interesting  and  instructive 
to  read  about  what  muscles  and  cartilages  are  in 
use  during  the  act  of  singing,  and  to  understand 
the  physiology  of  the  vocal  organ.  For  informa- 
tion regarding  these  things  read  any  authority  on 
physiology  and  anatomy.  The  works  of  Dr.  Hoi- 
brook  Curtis,  and  Professor  Wesley  Mills,  of  Me- 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  83 

Gill  University,  are  particularly  interesting. 
Among  other  things,  Professor  Mills  says :  "  In 
singing  and  speaking,  the  larynx  should  be  stead- 
ied, otherwise  the  '  attack,'  or  application  of  the 
air  blast  to  the  vocal  bands,  cannot  be  perfect." 
If  the  phraseology  had  been  "  the  larynx  should  be 
steady  "  instead  of  "  the  larynx  should  be  stead- 
ied," there  would  be  no  objection  to  the  statement. 
As  it  is,  it  does  not  agree  with  the  principles  of 
voice  culture  as  set  forth  in  this  work.  Further- 
more, the  action  of  the  mechanism  of  the  larynx 
should  be  automatic,  and  not  be  subject  to  direct 
control. 

History  records  that  in  the  year  1854  the  cele- 
brated teacher,  Manuel  Garcia,  invented  the 
laryngoscope,  now  in  .general  use  among  phys- 
icians. It  consists  of  two  mirrors,  one  fastened 
to  the  forehead  by  a  band  placed  around  the  head, 
and  the  other  a  small  mirror  which,  when  intro- 
duced into  the  mouth  at  the  back  of  the  throat, 
is  so  held  as  to  secure  the  reflection  of  light  from 
the  mirror  at  the  forehead,  which  in  turn  is  gener- 
ally illuminated  by  a  lamp.  The  purpose  of  the 
laryngoscope  was  to  observe  the  larynx  during 


84  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

actual  phonation — something  that  had  never  been 
accomplished  up  to  that  time. 

The  laryngoscope,  with  all  its  value  to  the  phys- 
ician and  to  the  analytical  physiologist,  is  of  no 
practical  value  to  the  vocal  teacher,  except  to 
determine  the  physical  condition  of  the  larynx  and 
vocal  cords  by  being  able  to  view  them. 

Dr.  Fillebrown  of  Harvard  says :  "  As  a  surgeon, 
I  well  know  the  value  of  thorough  anatomical 
knowledge,  but  from  the  singer's  standpoint  I  can- 
not too  strongly  emphasize  the  unwisdom  of  direct- 
ing the  attention  of  sensitively  organized  pupils 
to  their  vocal  mechanism  by  means  of  the  laryngo- 
scope. This  instrument  belongs  to  the  physician, 
not  to  the  singer." 

Dr.  Fillebrown  says  further: 

"  By  the  testimony  of  Garcia's  biographer, 
M.  S.  McKinley,  and  of  the  distinguished  English 
baritone,  Sir  Charles  Santley,  who  was  a  pupil 
of  Garcia,  it  is  authoritatively  known  that  Garcia 
modified  his  first  claims  as  to  the  value  of  the 
laryngoscope  in  voice  culture.  Mr.  Santley  says 
in  his  *  Art  of  Singing ' :  *  In  all  my  conversations 
I  had  with  him  I  never  heard  him  say  a  word  about 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  85 

larynx  or  pharynx,  glottis,  or  any  other  organ 
used  in  the  production  and  emission  of  the  voice.' 
This  does  not  agree  with  the  principles  of  voice 
culture  as  set  forth  by  Garcia  in  his  work,  but 
a  reasonable  conjecture  may  be  that  Garcia 
changed  his  principles  in  practical  voice  training 
after  reaching  his  final  conclusion  as  to  the  value  of 
the  laryngoscope." 

Dr.  Morell  MacKenzie,  the  illustrious  surgeon 
and  throat-specialist  of  London,  says :  "  It  can 
scarcely  be  said  to  have  thrown  any  new  light  on 
the  mechanism  of  the  voice,"  and  Dr.  Lennox  Brown 
says :  "  Valuable  as  has  been  the  laryngoscope  in  a 
physiological  way,  as  undoubtedly  it  is  in  a  medical 
sense,  it  has  been  the  means  of  making  all  theories 
of  voice  production  too  dependent  on  the  vocal 
cords,  and  thus  the  importance  of  the  other  parts 
of  the  vocal  apparatus  has  been  overlooked." 

The  principal  factor  in  bringing  about  correct 
coordination  of  the  parts  involved  is  the  breathing. 

BREATHING  AND  BREATH  CONTROL 

THEORETICAL  AND  PRACTICAL 
As  correct  breathing  is  such  an  immense  power 


86  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

for  good,  not  only  as  a  factor  in  the  emission  of 
artistic  tone,  but  as  an  ever-present  influence  in  the 
conservation  of  health,  it  is  most  important  that 
the  student  should  have  at  the  very  outset  a  thor- 
ough understanding  of  this  most  important  subject. 
The  major  fallacies  regarding  the  breathing  appa- 
ratus are  resultant  'for  the  most  part  upon  the 
misapprehension  of  proper  direction  of  the  will- 
power. 

In  reviewing  the  history  of  vocal  art  we  find  that 
many  plausible  theories  concerning  the  manage- 
ment of  the  breath  have  not  only  failed  in  the  prac- 
tical application  to  bring  about  desirable  artistic 
results,  but  have  been  fruitful  of  much  physical 
as  well  as  artistic  evil.  It  is  interesting  to  read 
the  opinions  of  the  learned  scientists  on  this  sub- 
ject, and  I  will  briefly  quote  from  the  works  of  a 
number  o'f  authors  who  have  received  public  recog- 
nition. The  false  deduction  of  voiceless  corpses 
that  never  sang,  as  Mr.  Charles  Lunn  remarks, 
are  worse  than  valueless  as  affecting  the  truth 
in  matters  of  voice  construction.  Again  quoting 
Sir  Morell  MacKenzie  on  the  subject  of  controlling 
the  breath  from  the  diaphragm:  " \The  old  Italian 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  87 

masters  taught  that  in  inspiration  the  anterior 
abdominal  wall  should  be  slightly  drawn  in,  and  this 
method  was  practised  for  more  than  a  hundred  and 
fifty  years;  but  in  1855  Mandl  opposed  this  mode 
of  breathing  on  anatomical  grounds,  maintaining 
that  the  descent  of  the  diaphragm  is  facilitated  by 
allowing  the  abdominal  wall  to  be  flaccid  and  to 
project  forward  in  inspiration.  In  England  the 
views  of  Mandl  have  been  advocated  by  Messrs. 
Brown  and  Behnke,  and  I  was  myself  inclined  to 
accept  these  doctrines.  I  felt  some  misgivings, 
however,  on  the  subject,  more  especially  as  Gott- 
fried Weber,  one  of  the  most  acute  investigators 
who  had  studied  the  science  of  singing,  says  that  it 
is  impossible  to  say  why  it  is  so,  but  that  undoubt- 
edly the  old  Italian  method  is  the  best.  I  endeav- 
ored to  harmonize  the  conflicting  views,  but  further 
investigation  of  the  subject  has  convinced  me  that 
the  old  Italian  Maestri  were  right,  and  that  in  the 
abdominal  cavity  there  is  ample  room  for  the  slight 
descent  of  the  diaphragm  without  any  protrusion 
of  its  anterior  walls.  By  the  old  Italian  method 
complete  control  is  obtained  at  the  commencement 
of  the  act  of  expiration,  and  undue  escape  of  air — • 


88  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

i.e.,  waste  of  breath — is  thus  prevented.  In  other 
words,  by  the  Italian  system  greater  effect  is  pro- 
duced with  less  expenditure  of  force." 

Sir  Morell  MacKenzie's  reference  to  the  old  Ital- 
ian method  is  an  analytical  observation  of  physical 
conditions  which  he  considers  to  be  physiologically 
most  favorable  to  the  best  voice-production.  These 
conditions,  instead  of  representing  a  purposeful 
effort  on  the  part  of  singers  to  bring  about  these 
results,  are  found  to  be  purely  and  naturally  conse- 
quential, and  to  represent  the  most  natural  and 
normal  physical  condition  in  singing. 

Says  Dr.  Harry  Campbell,  in  his  "  Respiratory 
Exercises  in  the  Treatment  o'f  Diseases  "  (1898)  : 
"  If  a  full  pancostal  inspiration  be  taken  after  a 
complete  expiration,  no  more  air,  or  at  all  events 
only  a  small  quantity,  can  be  inhaled  by  means  of 
the  diaphragm.  This  at  once  disposes  of  the  view 
held  by  some  teachers  of  singing  that  more  air  can 
be  taken  in  by  a  diaphragmatic  breath  then  by 
the  purely  costal  method.  Further  proof  of  the 
fallacy  of  this  teaching  is  supplied  by  the  spirom- 
eter." 

Mr.  Charles  Lunn,  in  his  "  Philosophy  o'f  the 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  89 

Voice  "  (1906),  says :  "  There  is  one  word  I  should 
like  to  eliminate  from  the  teacher's  vocabulary,  and 
that  is  '  diaphragmatic,'  for  it  is  used  in  two  senses : 
one  meaning  a  descent  on  the  intestines,  pushing 
the  bowels  out ;  the  other  meaning  an  expansion  of 
the  free  ribs  pushing  these  ribs  apart.  (1)  Clavicu- 
lar breathing  in  a  standing  biped  is  an  upward 
perpendicular  force ;  is  ugly,  but  a  singer  can  sing, 
in  degree,  with  this  method.  (2)  Abdominal 
breathing  in  a  standing  biped  is  a  downward  per- 
pendicular force,  and  is  not  only  ugly,  but  atro- 
cious, for  a  person  can  never  sing  with  this.  (3) 
Costal  or  artistic  breathing  in  a  biped  standing  up- 
right is  a  horizontal  force,  acting  at  a  right  angle 
to  a  vertical  line."  Dr.  Campbell's  ideas  con- 
cerning breathing  are  directly  opposed  to  the 
Mandl  School,  practically  overthrowing  it,  as 
shown  by  the  following :  "  Abdominal  breathing  is 
closely  associated  with  the  name  of  Mandl,  who 
in  1855  advocated  this  mode  of  breathing — in  an 
article  which  appeared  in  the  Gazett  Medic  ale — 
though  it  had  already  been  largely  practised.  He 
obtained  a  wide  following,  and  in  schools  of  sing- 
ing most  strange  devices  were  resorted  to  for  the 


90  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

purpose  of  fixing  the  ribs  and  compelling  pure 
abdominal  breathing ;  thus  the  pupils  were  made  to 
sing  while  lying  down  on  mattresses,  sometimes  with 
weights  more  or  less  heavy  placed  on  the  sternal 
regions.  Masters  were  even  said  to  make  a  prac- 
tice of  seating  themselves  familiarly  upon  the  chests 
of  their  pupils.  In  the  schools  were  to  be  seen  gal- 
lows with  thongs  and  rings  for  binding  the  upper 
half  of  the  body,  orthopaedic  apparatus,  rigid  cor- 
sets, and  a  kind  o'f  pillory,  which  enclosed  the 
frame  and  fixed  the  ribs."  (Quoted  from  Joals* 
"  Respiration  in  Singers.") 

"  All  sorts  of  troubles  may  result  from  abdomi- 
nal breathing,  such  as  hernias,  indigestions,  and 
disorders  of  the  abdominal  circulation,  etc." 

Corroborating  this  testimony,  Dr.  Rennie  in  his 
work,  "  The  Art  of  Improving  the  Voice  and  Ear  " 
(1825),  says : "  From  stretching  all  the  parts  of  the 
abdomen  till  some  of  them  give  way,  a  rupture,  or 
hernia,  is  the  consequence,  as  was  observed  long  ago 
by  the  celebrated  Fallopius.  Dr.  Ramazzini  often 
'found  rupture  produced  in  a  way  precisely  similar 
in  children,  who,  by  exerting  their  voices  in  crying, 
overstretched  and  burst  the  muscles  of  the  belly." 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  91 

In  Dr.  Lardner's  "  Animal  Physics  "  we  find  a 
clear  explanation  of  the  action  of  the  ribs  during 
the  most  approved  manner  of  respiration  as  prac- 
tised by  the  most  successful  singers  of  the  present 
day. 

Dr.  Lardner  writes :  "  In  the  state  of  repose 
which  follows  an  expiration,  the  capacity  of  the 
chest  being  reduced  to  its  least  limit,  each  pair  of 
ribs  is  inclined  downward  and  forward,  and  the 
sternum  (breast  bone)  is  depressed.  To  enlarge 
the  chest  during  an  inspiration,  each  pair  is  drawn 
up  to  the  horizontal  position,  and  at  the  same  time 
the  sternum  is  elevated  and  protruded  forwards. 
This  movement  produces  an  enlargement  of  the 
thorax  (chest)  by  two  of  its  dimensions:  firstly, 
by  its  increased  depth  from  the  sternum  to  the 
vertebral  column  (backbone),  and,  secondly,  by 
its  increased  width  from  side  to  side." 

Dr.  H.  Holbrook  Curtis  says :  "  We  were  long 
since  convinced  that  the  inferior  costal  breathing 
was  the  proper  method  of  respiration  for  singers 
and  voice  users.  But  it  seemed  to  us  that  the 
act  might  be  made  more  general,  more  complete, 
by  adding  to  it  the  superior  costal  elevation." 


92  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

Dr.  Curtis  calls  this  mode  of  breathing  the  fixed 
high  chest  method.  He  points  out  the  fact  that 
practically  all  authorities  are  agreed  about  the 
correct  condition  o'f  the  abdominal  wall  in  inspira- 
tion, the  debated  question  being  the  extent  to  which 
it  should  be  retracted. 

In  reading  the  reports  of  scientific  observers,  the 
mind  of  the  student  often  becomes  confused,  chiefly 
on  account  of  the  failure  to  realize  that  the  obser- 
vative  or  analytical  is  not  the  viewpoint  which 
should  be  taken  by  the  student  in  the  synthetic 
process.  Such  analysis  is  merely  corroborative, 
and  is  valuable  to  the  scientist  only  from  a  physio- 
logical standpoint. 

The  student  must  remember  that  he  is  not  sing- 
ing or  learning  to  sing  with  the  object  of  bringing 
about  any  particular  physiological  condition.  It 
is  merely  interesting  to  know  that  certain  physio- 
logical conditions  may  be  observed  as  accompani- 
ments or  consequences  of  certain  physical  move- 
ments, resulting  from  the  proper  direction  of  will- 
power. 

In  Stephen's  Commentaries  on  Social  Economy 
appears  the 'following : "  There  are  professions  pro- 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  93 

ductive  of  evils  so  serious,  when  improperly  exer- 
cised, and  so  liable  at  the  same  time  to  be  exercised 
by  unfit  persons,  as  to  make  it  proper  to  subject 
them  to  the  restraints  of  legal  regulation."  Re- 
ferring to  this  quotation,  Mr.  Charles  Lunn  says : 
"  That  the  science  and  art  of  voice  training  is  in- 
cluded in  this  category,  is  easily  shown ;  in  fact,  the 
evidence  of  evil  is  overwhelming,  and  is  constantly 
on  the  increase,  owing  to  the  pseudo-science  that 
prevails  and  the  unchecked  interference  of  unquali- 
fied persons." 

Dr.  Fillebrown,  of  Harvard,  explains  the  vocal 
phenomena  as  follows :  "  There  are  two  sets  of  res- 
piratory muscles:  one  set  for  inspiration  and  the 
other  for  expiration — twenty-two  or  more  in  all. 
The  diaphragm,  and  the  intercostal  muscles  that 
lift  the  ribs,  are  the  chief  muscles  of  inspiration. 
Four  sets  of  abdominal  muscles,  together  with  the 
intercostal  muscles  that  depress  the  ribs,  constitute 
the  muscles  of  expiration.  The  diaphragm  is  not  a 
muscle  of  expiration. 

"  Expiration  depends  mostly  on  other  muscles. 
The  abdominal  muscles  relax  during  inspiration, 
and  the  diaphragm  relaxes  during  expiration.  The 


94  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

muscles  of  expiration  are  the  stronger  of  the  two. 
This  is  what  is  needed ;  for  the  breath  while  speak- 
ing or  singing  must  go  out  under  greater  tension 
than  is  necessary  for  inhalation." 

All  voices  are  subject  to  the  same  general  laws 
of  development.  The  lungs  and  respiratory 
muscles  act  as  the  physical  motor-power,  the  vocal 
cords  act  as  a  vibrator,  the  mouth,  throat,  nose 
and  head  and  chest  cavities  act  as  a  resonator,  and 
the  tongue  and  lips  act  as  the  articulator. 

The  development  of  the  vehicle  of  voice  consists 
in  the  harmonious  action  of  these  four  elements. 
The  breath  properly  taken  by  free  expansion  of  the 
lungs  creates  in  exhalation  a  current  of  air  which 
passes  through  the  wind-pipe  and  larynx,  or  voice- 
box  containing  the  vocal  cords — the  vibrator. 
At  this  point  the  current  of  air  produces  the 
tone  which  we  will  .speak  of  as  fundamental  tone. 
The  vibrating  air  or  tone  passing  on  into  the 
mouth  is  reinforced  by  the  hard  palate  and  the 
cavities  of  the  nose  and  head — the  resonator.  Ad- 
ditionally, we  have  the  sympathetic  resonator,  i.e., 
the  chest,  and,  in  fact,  the  entire  body. 

Let  the  student  of  voice  remember  that  all  con- 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  95 

sideration  as  to  the  physiological  conditions  during 
phonation  is  superfluous,  as  in  the  practical  syn- 
thesis of  voice  production  the  important  things 
to  be  considered  by  the  student  are  the  initiative 
and  the  result.  In  my  observation  I  find  a  great 
misapprehension  of  the  correct  mode  of  procedure 
in  the  natural  development  of  the  voice. 

Breath  control,  in  principle,  means  to  many 
singers  a  wilful,  direct  and  voluntary  holding-back 
of  the  breath  during  phonation,  for  the  purpose 
of  economizing  the  supply  o'f  breath.  Broadly, 
this  is  the  result  of  the  teachings  of  the  local 
effort  school,  in  which  the  pupil — or,  in  this  case, 
the  victim — is  led  to  believe  that  by  holding  back 
or  pushing  the  breath  he  is  correctly  exercising  the 
function  of  breathing. 

Alas  for  the  victims !  Nothing  could  be  more 
subversive  of  the  truth.  No  man  or  woman  can 
wilfully  hold  back  or  push  the  breath,  and  at  the 
same  time  sing  with  spontaneity,  naturalness,  or 
soulful  expression. 

In  short,  the  thing  is  incompatible  with  good 
singing. 

To  analyze  a  phenomenon  of  nature  and  find 


96  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

certain  things  about  it  to  be  true  in  effect,  does  not 
determine  the  best  means  of  bringing  about  the 
condition  thus  analyzed ;  and  it  is  owing  to  a  gen- 
eral misapprehension  o'f  the  natural  laws  of  cause 
and  effect  that  the  wrong  initiative  is  taken, 
attended  by  imperfect  and  oftentimes  disastrous 
results. 

As  in  a  geometrical  proposition,  if  the  procedure 
of  investigation  is  based  upon  a  false  hypothesis, 
the  conclusions  are  necessarily  incorrect. 

Now,  assuming  that  the  high  chest  and  slightly 
drawn  in  abdomen  is  the  correct  condition  for  a 
singer  in  the  act  of  inspiration,  and  the  high  chest 
and  further  drawn  in  abdomen  is  the  correct  one 
in  expiration,  we  have  a  still  more  important  mat- 
ter for  practical  consideration. 

There  still  exists  the  possibility  of  true  or  false 
premises,  and  hence  true  or  'false  conclusions,  as 
the  case  may  be. 

This  liability  to  error  and  false  conclusion  in 
the  practical  working-out  of  the  problem  lies  first 
in  the  mental  initiative.  By  this  is  meant  the  first 
thought  and  the  first  voluntary  physical  action. 

If  these  are  correct,  the  consequent  involuntary 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  97 

I 

action  will  occur,  and  the  result  will  be  correct, 
unless  there  are  existing  conditions  of  abnormal 
activity  of  the  interfering  or  extrinsic  muscles. 
When  the  singer  has  solved  the  problem  of  correct 
mental  initiative  and  voluntary  action,  and  the 
ear  has  been  educated  to  appreciation  of  the  sounds 
resulting  therefrom,  he  is  on  comparatively  safe 
ground.  When  there  is  an  involuntary  stiffening 
and  hardening  o'f  the  extrinsic  muscles  of  the  throat 
or  face,  or  hardening  of  the  muscles  of  the  abdomen 
or  diaphragm,  special  treatment  is  required — de- 
pending upon  the  nature  of  the  particular  case. 
We  will  proceed  with  the  assumption  that  the  high 
chest  and  slightly  drawn  in  abdomen  is  the  cor- 
rect position  in  the  act  of  inspiration. 

If  the  chest  be  elevated  and  the  abdomen  drawn 
in  voluntarily,  and  breath  taken  through  mouth  or 
nose  voluntarily,  and  in  expiration  the  chest  be 
held  up  and  the  abdomen  drawn  in  still  more,  and 
the  breath  held  back  voluntarily,  we  should  have 
what  might  be  termed  a  strict  following  out  of  the 
rule  of  direct  muscular  control. 

It  has  been  a  purely  voluntary  mechanical  pro- 
ceeding all  the  way  through,  and  results  may  be 


98  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

totally  unsatisfactory.  Again,  we  may  raise  the 
chest  and  draw  in  the  abdomen  slightly  by  means 
of  simply  standing  erect;  or,  rather,  if  we  stand 
erect,  we  may  find  that  the  chest  is  high  and  the 
abdomen  slightly  drawn  in;  furthermore,  we  may 
find  that  we  already  have  sufficient  breath  on  which 
to  sing  without  having  given  a  single  thought  to 
raising  the  chest,  drawing  in  the  abdomen,  or 
taking  the  breath ! 

If  we  continue  to  stand  erect  while  singing,  we 
may  find  that  the  chest  remains  high;  that  the 
abdomen  sinks  in  still  more,  naturally  and  involun- 
tarily, as  we  proceed,  and  that  we  are  singing  with- 
out any  thought  of  holding  back  the  breath.  In 
both  cases  we  find  by  analysis  of  conditions  that 
we  have  observed  theoretical  requirements,  but  with 
vastly  different  results,  both  tonal  and  physical. 

The  first  method  is  incorrect,  because  it  inter- 
feres with  natural  spontaneity,  and  the  results  will 
show  conditions  of  sound  which  will  not  appeal  to 
the  correctly  trained  ear.  There  are  other  con- 
ditions which  actually  exist  in  correct  tone  produc- 
tion, but  the  above  example  illustrates  the  prin- 
ciple of  automatic  breath  control. 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  99 

This  is  primarily  a  matter  of  the  physical  culti- 
vation of  the  breathing  muscles  and  the  develop- 
ment of  the  lungs,  and  is  best  accomplished  by 
exercises  which  will  practically  bring  about  the 
desired  results.  These  are,  the  ability  to  sustain 
phrases  evenly  at  any  degree  of  power  within  the 
natural  range,  to  crescendo  and  diminuendo,  and 
to  color  the  tones  at  will,  without  directly  attempt- 
ing to  govern  the  muscles  involved. 

Authorities  disagree  as  to  the  mode  of  pro- 
cedure in  this  cultivation  and  development.  Some 
contend  that  breathing  exercises  should  be  used 
without  phonation,  while  others  insist  this  is  un- 
necessary. 

There  can  be  no  harm,  and  undoubtedly  a  benefi- 
cial result  will  be  gained  in  many  cases,  by  breathing 
exercises  without  phonation — in  the  strengthening 
of  the  breathing  muscles  and  developing  the  lungs. 

Notwithstanding  the  physiological  fact  that  the 
diaphragm  descends  during  inspiration  and 
ascends  during  expiration,  no  attention  whatever 
should  be  paid  to  this  fact.  Avoid  all  attempt  to 
control  the  breathing,  and  the  breath  will  act  nor- 
mally and  naturally.  Remember  that  the  dia- 


100  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

phragm  is  a  muscle  of  inspiration  and  not  of  expira- 
tion, and  performs  its  function  automatically.  All 
attempts  to  control  the  breath  or  tone  at  the  dia- 
phragm is  suicidal.  It  is  a  factor  in  the  physiolog- 
ical labyrinth  of  errors  which  has  wrought  so  much 
havoc  in  the  singing  world,  by  creating  rigidity  of 
the  body  and  consequent  muscular  interference. 

When  correct  habits  of  breathing  are  formed, 
the  singing  should  be  as  subconscious  as  the  vital 
or  living  breath. 

In  cases  where  high  resonance  seems  to  be  lack- 
ing and  facility  in  voice  emission  is  not  apparent, 
the  inspiration  through  the  nose  may  be  found 
most  effective  in  correcting  the  difficulty.  The 
lips  should  be  slightly  parted  during  the  inspira- 
tion in  order  to  obtain  the  best  results.  This,  in 
order  to  avoid  undesirable  contractions.  Breath- 
ing through  the  nose  has  everything  to  recommend 
it  when  using  the  voice  in  a  damp,  cold,  or  impure 
atmosphere,  or  when  not  using  the  voice  at  all. 
The  gasping  mouth  breathing  is  not  only  objection- 
able but  is  a  dangerous  habit. 

Singers  who  gasp  for  breath  habitually  are  gen- 
erally faulty  in  intonation,  especially  in  the  upper 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  101 

register.  They  also  acquire  a  wabbly  tone  which 
is  most  reprehensible  artistically. 

Take  breath  by  gently  lifting  the  body  from 
the  hips,  the  jaw  being  loose  and  the  lips  slightly 
parted.  Do  not  close  the  mouth  when  breathing 
as  it  may  cause  body  stiffening,  especially  if  there 
is  present  any  obstruction  of  the  nasal  passage. 

"  All  practical  rules  must  rest  upon  theory, 
and  theory  upon  nature,  and  nature's  law  is  ascer- 
tained by  observation  and  experience." 

Now,  there  may  be  various  good  methods  of  de- 
veloping the  breathing  powers,  but  when  the  time 
comes  to  sing  the  breath  inspiration  should  be 
entirely  subconscious,  and  in  expiration  should 
not  be  controlled  by  wilful  muscular  action  at  the 
throat,  or  at  the  diaphragm. 

This  attempt  to  locally  control  is  one  reason  for 
the  very  limited  and  undesirable  kind  of  voice  de- 
velopment of  many  singers.  The  most  serious 
trouble  lies,  generally,  in  the  mode  of  inspiration 
and  the  attempt  directly  to  control  expiration. 

"  The  muscular  or  conscious  breath  means  over- 
stock. Muscular  breath  compels  voluntary  muscu- 
lar control,  from  which  results  throat-contraction 


102  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

and  consequent  pinched  tones.  The/nervous  breath 
means  nervous,  unsteady  control  and  consequent 
relaxation  and  loss  of  breath."  This  deduction  of 
Edmund  J.  Meyer,  in  his  excellent  work,  "  The 
Renaissance  of  the  Vocal  Art,"  without  question 
represents  the  truth.  The  remedy  for  holding  back 
or  pushing  the  breath  voluntarily,  both  of  which 
are  wrong,  is,  firstly,  the  correction  of  the  mode 
of  inspiration,  or  taking  the  breath ;  and,  secondly, 
the  absolute  abandonment  of  any  direct  control  o'f 
the  breath  or  breathing  muscles.  Meyer's  deduction 
touching  this  point,  represents  the  thought  of  all  the 
great  teachers  of  Italy,  differently  but  more  scien- 
tifically expressed.  It  is  this :  "  Expand  to  breathe, 
do  not  breathe  to  expand."  The  Italian  teachers 
said :  "  Do  not  make  a  noise  when  you  take  your 
breath,  no  matter  how  quickly  you  find  it  necessary 
in  singing  your  phrases."  Mr.  Meyer  has  simply 
expressed  epigrammatically  and  scientifically  a 
living  truth,  which  is,  in  fact,  one  o'f  the  mainstays 
of  the  old  Italian  systems  of  training  the  voice. 

However,  as  a  matter  of  instruction,  I  find  'from 
experience  that  it  is  advisable  to  explain  to  stu- 
dents that  expansion  is  a  result  of  the  arousing 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  103 

of  vital  energy,  aided  by  correct  carriage,  rather 
than  of  a  specific  effort.  Expansion  is  the  natural 
result  of  standing  erect. 

When  one  expands  to  breathe  he  finds  it  no  lon- 
ger necessary  consciously  to  hold  back  the  breath 
in  expiration,  for  the  purpose  of  economy  of  breath 
or  for  expression  of  any  kind.  The  breath  control 
is  automatic  under  a  natural  law  which  is  ascer- 
tained by  observation  and  experience.  The  actual 
physical  breath-control  then,  is  a  consequence;  a 
most  important  function,  it  is  true,  but  under  the 
immutable  law  of  nature,  merely  and  only  auto- 
matic, and  under  no  circumstances  subject  to  direct 
thought  of  muscular  action.  Hence  the  necessity 
of  correct  mental  and  physical  initiative. 

To  sum  up,  the  correct  initiative  lies  in  the 
first  place  in  a  mental  conception  of  the  pitch  and 
character  of  tone  or  succession  of  tones  desired,  fol- 
lowed by  the  voluntary  movement  producing  ex- 
pansion. Sing  without  a  thought  of  breath  control ! 
The  necessary  coordination  will  take  place.  Auto- 
matic adjustment  of  all  parts  will  occur  as  soon  as 
the  necessary  physical  elasticity  is  brought  about. 

You  will  have  sufficient  breath  for  the  longest 


104  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

phrases,  and  inhalation  will  not  be  heard.  Fur- 
thermore you  will  experience  a  degree  of  comfort 
in  singing  which  will  be  a  grateful  revelation. 

Finally,  breath-control,  except  as  a  matter  of 
result,  which  may  be  analyzed,  is  liable  to  be  disas- 
trous. Control  the  character,  intensity,  and  equal- 
ity of  your  tone,  and  let  the  breath  control  itself. 
If  you  try  to  do  the  reverse,  you  will  get  the  cart 
before  the  horse — a  very  common  blunder,  and 
responsible  for  much  evil  in  the  singing  world. 

The  greatest  error  in  the  cultivation  of  this 
complex  and  wonderful  instrument,  the  human 
voice,  is  the  attempt  to  take  out  of  the  hands  of 
Nature  that  which  Nature  intended  to  do  for  her- 
self. First  and  most  disastrous  of  all,  as  has  been 
pointed  out,  is  the  fallacy  of  direct  and  purposeful 
breath  control.  There  is  no  occasion  for  the  admo- 
nition directly  to  control  the  expiration  of  breath 
at  any  stage  of  voice  culture.  The  idea  alone  is 
antagonistic  to  all  natural  normal  development  of 
the  expressive  voice,  and  any  specific  instruction 
as  to  breath-control  to  any  student  is  a  mistake. 

The  second  important  'fallacy  for  consideration 
is  the  instruction  to  open  or  to  close  the  throat. 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  105 

This  is,  if  anything,  more  pernicious  in  effect  than 
the  instruction  to  control  the  breath. 

Tones  may  be  classified  as  open  or  closed,  accord- 
ing to  the  effect  produced,  but  the  instruction 
should  be  to  produce  the  vowel  correctly  and  dis- 
tinctly. If  the  vowel  is  open,  well  and  good ;  if  it 
is  closed,  equally  well  and  good.  In  other  words, 
let  the  throat  alone.  For  example,  pronounce  naw. 
You  will  observe  the  dropping  of  the  jaw.  The 
tone  is  called  open,  but  no  attempt  should  be  made 
to  open  the  throat.  There  will  result  the  natural 
opening  due  to  correct  pronunciation.  This  alone 
will  produce  the  correct  opening  of  the  throat,  or, 
more  properly  speaking,  the  pharynx,  and  any 
additional  effort  to  open  it  is  liable  to  bring  about 
an  unnatural,  artificial  mode  of  tone  production. 
But  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  correct  sound 
of  aw  should  be  given. 

Now  pronounce  nee.  The  tone  is  called  closed, 
but  no  attempt  should  be  made  to  close  the  throat. 
Under  the  same  rule  there  will  result  the  natural 
closing  due  to  correct  pronunciation,  and  any  fur- 
ther attempt  to  close  the  throat  will  also  be  liable 
to  result  disastrously.  Normal,  uninterrupted 


106  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

respiration,  combined  with  correct  pronunciation 
of  the  word,  and  more  particularly  correct  enunci- 
ation of  the  vowel  sound,  will  be  found  to  right 
many  o'f  the  errors  in  voice-production.  The  con- 
sciousness of  correct  phenomena,  evidenced  by 
satisfying  results  and  accompanied  by  the  sense  of 
ease  in  delivery,  no  doubt  is  responsible  for  the 
expressive  empirical  instruction  of  the  old  school, 
"  Sing  on  the  breath." 

It  makes  no  difference  at  what  pitch  (within  its 
natural  range)  the  voice  is  to  sound,  these  rules 
obtain  whether  the  pitch  is  high  or  low.  Any  in- 
struction to  open  or  close  the  throat  is  liable  to  be 
misleading,  confusing  and  destructive.  It  is  pro- 
ductive of  objectionable  muscular  interference1. 
The  confusion  in  open  or  closed  tones  arises  from 
wrong  conceptions  of  what  is  meant  by  "  to  open  " 
or  "  to  close."  The  open  tone,  and  also  the 
pharynx,  is  the  natural  result  of  the  free  enuncia- 
tion of  what  we  understand  to  be  the  open  vowels, 
and  the  closed  tone  is  likewise  the  natural  result  of 
the  correct  enunciation  of  the  closed  vowels. 

The  third  major  fallacy  in  vocal  instruction  is 
the  attempt  directly  to  control  the  registers.  The 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  107 

instruction  to  sing  in  this  or  that  register  must 
have  been  prompted  by  Satan  himself.  Its  result 
is  often  confusion  worse  confounded.  What  may 
be  termed  "  registers  "  unquestionably  exist  in  the 
operation  of  the  normal  voice,  and  depend  entirely 
upon  pitch  and  character  of  expression.  The  regis- 
ter used  should  not  be  preconsidered  in  production, 
but  should  occur  automatically  in  natural  response 
to  the  character  of  the  idea  to  be  expressed.  Under 
no  circumstances  should  change  of  register  be  pre- 
meditated. To  compel  the  phenomena  is  to  inter- 
fere with  the  workings  of  nature.  The  mechanism 
of  the  voice  is  such,  that,  under  proper  conditions, 
it  automatically  adjusts  itself  in  the  simplest  man- 
ner possible,  and  unerringly,  if  not  restrained  by 
attempts  to  control  the  breath,  to  open  or  close 
the  throat,  or,  in  short,  to  compel  the  phenomena 
in  any  way.  Analytically,  there  is  room  for  argu- 
ment as  to  the  number  of  registers  in  the  human 
voice,  but  synthetically,  registers  have  no  place  in 
the  consideration  of  construction. 

VOICE  PLACING 

WHAT  is  known  as  "  voice  placing  "  in  singing 
is  something  which  derives  its  name  from  an  im- 


108  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

pression  gained  bj  the  hearer  and  from  the  anger** 
sensation.  The  term  u placing*  gives  the  idea,  of 
a  static  condition  of  the  roice,  and  thereby  pro- 
motes an  undesirable  static  condition  that  is>  en- 
ti  rel  j  at  variance  with  the  correct  idea  of  voice, 
\  oice  is  sound  produced  ana  sustained  Of  supported 
by  a  constantly  moving  current  of  air, 

It  is  true  that  there  is  the  effect  of  a  static 
condition  of  voice  which  is  called  placing,  but  this 
should  be  the  result,  of  the  proper  focussing  of  the 
tone.  The  sensations  which  accompany  the  cor- 
rect voice  placing  are  invariably  the  result  of  mov- 
ing breath.  The  static  effect  of  tone  placing  is 
merely  incidental.  To  dwell  upon  tone  placing 
usually  causes  an  involuntary  halting  of  the  breath 
activity.  Consciousness  of  tonal  poise  should  be 
accompanied  by  consciousness  of  moving  hrfi&th 
and  tone  sounding  forward.  The  condition  of 
body  stiffness  causing  throat  stiffness,  the  graaiat 
obstacle  to  correct  tone  ennssion  is  thereby  greatly 
relieved. 

This  phenomenon  of  voice  is  dependent  upon  a 
constant  and  regular  flow  of  breath.  There  is  no 
stopping-place  for  the  breath  as  subject  to  the  wiD. 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  109 

It  must  continue  on  its  way.  It  is  true  that  the 
breath  changes  its  form,  and  tone  is  the  vocal  mani- 
festation off  its  constant  motion,  but  the  time-hon- 
ored term  of  "  voice  placing  "  conveys  a  wrong  idea, 
and  has  a  psychological  influence  which  is  not 
conducive  to  the  best  results  in  establishing  tonal 
poise. 

The  consideration  of  what  is  commonly  under- 
stood as  voice-placing,  is  worthy  of  particular 
attention  chiefly  on  account  of  the  very  general 
misapprehension  of  exactly  what  voice  placing 
really  means,  and  the  method  of  its  accomplish- 
ment. The  prevalent  idea  is  that  the  voice  should 
first  be  properly  placed  before  commencing  the 
study  of  artistic  singing  and  interpretation.  While 
it  is  true  that  the  preliminary  work  of  training 
the  voice  should  be  conducted  along  lines  which 
permit  the  development  of  vocal  ability  as  to  purely 
technical  skill,  it  is  also  true  that  the  'fundamental 
principles  are  alike  in  both  preliminary  and  ad- 
vanced study.  The  main  idea  is  not  different,  as 
is  generally  supposed.  The  principle  of  training 
the  voice  to  the  end  that  it  may  finally  respond  to 
the  will  in  the  matter  of  producing  pure  tones — 


110  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

an  even  scale,  agility  and  resonance — is  perfectly 
correct.  The  .general  mistake  is  in  the  assumption 
that  the  preliminary  work  of  voice  placing  is  a 
thing  apart,  and  that  once1  the  voice  is  placed  ifwill 
respond  to.  the  soulful  demands  of  the  singer.  This 
is  true  only  when  the  voice  placing1  has  been  accom- 
plished by  attention  to  the  end  in  view  during  all 
intermediate  stages'  of  development.  In  other 
words,  if  the  voice  placing  seems  to  have  been 
fairly  well  accomplished  from  a  purely  mechanical 
standpoint,  and  the  student  is  considered  to  be 
ready  for  the  next  step,  namely,  the  study  o'f  artis- 
tic, expressive  singing,  the  voice  will  be  found  to 
be  more  or  less  unreliable;  one  register  will  be 
found  to  be  weaker  than  another  in  the  absence 
of  strict  attention  to  the  mechanical  part  of  the 
work  (which  must  necessarily  be  less  prominently 
considered  during  song,  if  the  expression  is  to  be 
sincere  and  hence  truly  artistic).  Just  so  far  as 
the  consideration  is  mechanical  guidance,  so  far 
must  the  interpretation  and  desired  effect  suffer. 
The  results  are  necessarily  more  or  less  artificial. 
The  mixture  of  attention  to  the  artistic  ends 
desired  and  mechanical  processes,  will  be  found  to 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  111 

present  obstacles  which  are,  in  the  very  nature  of 
the  operation,  insurmountable.  The  vocal  condi- 
tion resultant  upon  mechanical  training  does  not 
lend  itself  to  spontaneous  expression  in  song.  In 
short,  the  two  things  are  found  to  be  incompatible. 
As  has  been  stated,  the  vocal  organ  is  a  part  of 
the  living  being,  and  as  an  instrument  of  musical 
expression  it  is  unique.  Its  mechanical  adjust- 
ment, its  growth  and  development,  are  found,  under 
observation  and  experiment,  to  occur  under  treat- 
ment, which  leaves  entirely  out  of  consideration  the 
adjustment  of  the  physical  parts  involved  per  se. 
The  error,  the  pitfall  which  has  offered  such  an 
alluring  picture  of  future  vocal  perfection  to  the 
trusting  student  and  sanguine  master  alike,  is 
this  very  same  scheme  of  voice  placing.  The  end  is 
never  reached,  and  when  both  student  and  teacher 
commence  to  realize  that  something  is  the  matter, 
they  both  deplore  the  situation,  but  are  unable  to 
account  for  it.  Sometimes  the  teacher  thinks  the 
pupil  is  lacking  in  intelligence,  in  musical  percep- 
tion or  talent.  The  pupil  commences  to  lose  confi- 
dence in  the  teacher  because  the  realty  desired  re- 
1  suits  are  not  forthcoming.  Providing  that  the 


112  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

teacher  is  plainly  conscientious  in  his  work,  the 
pupil  frequently  thinks  it  is  his  own  fault  and  gives 
up  entirely;  or,  more  often,  he  changes  teachers 
in  the  hope  that  some  other  teacher  will  be  able 
to  accomplish  that  which  up  to  the  present  time  has 
proven  so  elusive.  The  change  of  teachers  is  some- 
times beneficial  in  .some  respects,  depending  upon 
the  particular  hobby  of  the  new  teacher  as  differing 
from  the  hobby  of  the  last.  Incidentally,  both  may 
be  admirable  in  themselves.  Now,  possibly,  under 
the  readjustment  consequent  upon  the  new  method, 
the  pupil  becomes  enthusiastic  over  an  improve- 
ment which  was  not  apparent  under  the  old  in- 
struction, and  he  promptly  arrives  at  the  conclus- 
ion that  the  last  teacher  was  not  competent.  Pos- 
sibly after  a  time  the  voice  is  found  to  be  failing 
in  some  particular  virtue  which  formerly  distin- 
guished it ;  and  finally  after  what  is  considered  to 
be  a  sufficient  length  of  time  having  been  devoted 
to  the  building  up  of  this  particular  part,  and  the 
results  not  having  been  entirely  satisfactory,  the 
student  again  changes  teachers,  or  gives  up;  and 
so  the  serio-comico  performance  goes  on.  The 
will-o'-the-wisp  retains  its  identity  and  its  repu- 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  113 

tation  as  an  elusive  something  of  indefinable  pro- 
portions. The  poor  voice  has  suffered  readjust- 
ment a'fter  readjustment,  until,  like  a  worn  out 
"  15  "  puzzle,  the  edges  commence  to  wear  off. 
Proportion  has  vanished,  the  mind  has  become  con- 
fused with  the  many  propositions  submitted  as  cor- 
rectives. They  don't  seem  to  fit  or  pull  together 
for  the  accomplishment  of  the  desired  end.  The 
singer  keeps  on  like  a  lame  horse  in  a  race,  if  he  is 
plucky,  doing  the  best  he  can.  If  a  modicum  of 
success  comes,  he  is  apt  to  resent  just  criticism  and 
deems  his  critics  his  mortal  foes.  As  a  matter  of 
fact  these  criticisms  are  for  the  most  part  just 
enough,  in  the  light  o'f  musical  comprehension.  I 
once  knew  a  prima  donna  who  when  she  read  an 
adverse  criticism  of  her  work  in  the  morning  papers 
would  say :  "  That  critic  must  have  been  a  terribly 
disappointed  singer."  The  real  trouble  was  that 
this  prima  donna's  voice  had  been  trained  with  a 
view  of  compelling  the  vocal  phenomena  in  certain 
parts  of  the  voice.  Muscular  interference  result- 
ing in  lack  of  spontaneity  was  ever  present,  and  the 
vocal  effects  consequently  were  frequently  unsym- 
pathetic and  unsatisfactory.  The  old  story  of 


114  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

mechanical  voice  placing  which  has  been  such  a 
stumbling  block  in  the  career  of  hundreds  of  more 
or  less  successful  singers  was  told  every  time  she 
appeared.  This  case  is  representative  of  the  com- 
mon fault  of  vocal  training  which  does  not  take 
into  consideration  that  the  vocal  apparatus  is  self- 
adjustable  in  a  perfectly  regulated  scale  of  the 
human  voice. 

Skill  in  singing  is  the  thing  desired  by  all  vocal- 
ists. The  means  of  obtaining  this  skill  have  been 
more  or  less  successfully  acquired  by  various 
methods  which  have  at  least  served  the  purpose 
of  arousing  the  interest  of  truth-seekers,  and  o'f 
accomplishing  some  good  results.  Graded  exercises 
of  rhythmical  construction  have  naturally  brought 
about  certain  musical  and  technical  improvement 
in  the  voice,  and,  notwithstanding  the  serious  handi- 
cap of  wrong  mental  initiative,  certain  good  must 
necessarily  result  from  the  perhaps  unrecognized 
power  of  musical  intuition  seeking  audible  expres- 
sion. Were  it  not  for  the  wilful  mechanical  guid- 
ance which  at  times  conflicts  with  the  natural  law 
of  vocal  expression,  progress  in  acquiring  desired 
skill  would  undoubtedly  be  more  rapid  and  pro- 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  115 

nounccd.  Certain  mechanical  guidance,  if  not  car- 
ried to  extremes,  may  not  be  particularly  harmful, 
and  under  certain  mental  and  physical  conditions 
may  even  prove  helpful.  The  objection  to  mechani- 
cal guidance  carried  out  as  a  scientific  principle 
is,  that  it  is  essentially  opposed  to  the  natural  law 
of  expression ;  and  the  error  is  in  giving  undue 
attention  to  the  mechanical  phase  of  the  matter,  as 
attested  by  practical  results.  The  simplest  and 
most  direct  way  of  obtaining  good  results  is  always 
the  best,  and  herein  is  made  manifest  the  skill 
and  knowledge  of  the  teacher  of  singing.  Success 
in  developing  good  voices  and  good  singers  is  inter- 
dependent upon  the  natural  aptitude,  talent,  musi- 
cal intuition,  and  tractability  of  students;  and  the 
knowledge,  skill  and  conscientious  effort  of  the 
teacher.  The  chief  obstacle  to  genuine  success, 
as  has  been  pointed  out  in  these  pages,  is  lack  of 
concentration  on  the  end  in  view,  to  the  undoing  of 
the  whole  structure  at  some  stage  of  construction. 
The  first  year  of  vocal  study  is  most  important, 
as  this  is  the  foundation-building  period.  The 
house  which  is  built  upon  a  foundation  which  is 
insecure  finally  topples  and  falls.  Many  a  singer 


116  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

has  discovered  an  error  in  the  foundation  work 
which  he  recognizes  as  a  strong  neutralizing  factor 
to  success.  Oftentimes  it  has  been  found  necessary 
to  undo  all  that  has  been  done,  and  to  reconstruct 
the  edifice  which  is  'found  to  have  been  built  upon 
sand.  The  lack  of  symmetry  in  the  voices  of  so 
many  singers — that  is,  the  unevenness  which  shows 
itself  in  the  scale  of  voices — is  undoubtedly  due  in 
the  largest  measure  to  the  prevailing  precepts  of 
voice  training,  i.e.,  mechanical  adjustment.  The 
predominating  idea  in  vocal  training  is  that  the 
voice  must  be  placed  before  any  attention  is  given 
to  the  art  of  singing.  The  fact  of  the  matter,  as 
has  been  before  stated,  is  that  the  voice  placing 
should  be  coincidental  with,  or  resultant  upon, 
attention  to  the  art  o'f  singing.  This  attention 
should  be  directed  along  the  natural  lines  of  pro- 
gressive development,  from  the  simplest  forms  to 
the  intermediate,  and  finally  to  the  difficult  forms 
of  musical  expression. 

Methods  or  means  for  acquiring  skill  in  singing 
differ  according  to  the  requirements  of  each  indi- 
vidual case.  The  fundamental  principle,  however,, 
is  unchangeable.  If  the  mind  is  riveted  upon  plac- 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  117 

ing  the  voice  in  a  certain  position,  regardless  o'f 
any  idea  of  natural  expression,  the  tendency  is  for 
the  entire  body,  including  the  breathing  apparatus 
and  the  throat,  to  become  rigid,  and  the  voice  in 
ponsequence  to  become  unmanageable,  and  unre- 
sponsive to  nuances  incident  upon  expression.  In 
short,  the  present  theory  of  voice  placing  repre- 
sents the  anomaly  of  putting  the  cart  before  the 
horse,  and  the  result  is  that  we  have  built  up  an 
art  of  vocal  management  which  is  not  in  harmony 
with  the  natural  laws  of  vocal  expression.  New 
difficulties  in  the  rearrangement  of  the  voice  are 
constantly  arising  with  every  step  of  what  is  con- 
sidered to  be  progress.  The  student  is  often  heard 
to  say,  "  I  can  sing  those  high  notes  '  forte,'  but  I 
cannot  sing  them  c  piano,'  or  even  *  mezzo-forte. ' 
This  condition,  of  course,  indicates  that  the  high 
notes  must  be  made  to  respond  to  a  wilful  force 
entirely  out  of  proportion  to  the  force  applied  to 
the  middle  and  lower  notes.  The  wrong  mental 
attitude  towards  singing  and  voice  placing  is  re- 
sponsible for  this  condition,  as  it  is  this  alone  which 
produces  the  distorted  physical  condition,  making 
the  normal  delivery  of  the  tones  impossible. 


118  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

Another  singer  is  heard  to  say :  "  My  middle 
register  is  weak  and  out  of  proportion  to  the  rest 
of  my  voice,"  or,  "  There  is  a  break  in  my  voice 
at  C#  or  F#  "  or,  "  I  cannot  sing  chest  tones.** 

Almost  invariably  the  modern  singing  teacher 
attempts  to  improve  these  conditions  by  what  is 
called  "  covering  "  at  a  certain  point  in  the  scale 
or  by  some  kind  of  direct  breath  control. 

While  it  is  true  that  more  or  less  successful 
results  may  be  brought  about  by  these  various 
agencies,  it  is  also  true  that  the  most  successful 
results  cannot  be  experienced  if  the  fundamental 
truth  is  not  observed.  The  snarl  remains.  The 
removal  of  one  difficulty  finds  the  singer  involved 
in  some  other  vocal  trouble,  and  when  the  new 
obstacle  seems  about  to  be  overcome,  there  is  a 
recurrence  of  the  old  difficulty;  or  complications 
arise  and  the  partial  conquering  of  one  troublesome 
factor  seems  to  pave  the  way  for  some  even  more 
serious  difficulty.  The  usual  result,  of  course,  is 
discouragement,  'followed  by  a  change  of  teachers, 
new  method,  etc.,  in  the  hope  that  at  last  the  mys- 
tery will  be  solved. 

There   is   a   certain   standard   which  may  be 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  119 

attained  under  the  prevalent  mechanical  idea  inter- 
spersed withi  the  true  natural,  emotional  instincts 
regarding  expression,  which  varies  in  different  in- 
dividuals. Ultimate  success,  depends  very  largely 
upon  how  much  influence  the  natural,  spontaneous 
forcefulness  of  individual  expression  has  upon  the 
proceedings.  If  the  inherent  desire  to  express  nat- 
urally is  sufficiently  strong  to  overcome  the 
mechanical  handicap,  conditions  may  improve  by 
the  righteous  demands  of  the  soul  for  adequate 
expression.  Seldom,  however,  is  the  real  cause  of 
improvement  realized  by  students — much  less 
pointed  out  by  the  teachers.  It  is,  rather,  pointed 
out  that  such  improvement  is  due  to  the  careful 
observance  of  the  mechanical  rules  and'  the  method 
of  adjustment;  where,  if  the  truth  were  known, 
the  student  has  succeeded  in  spite  of  the  specific 
instruction. 

He  has  succeeded  though  weighted  down  by  the 
superfluous  load  of  thought  regarding  the  mechani- 
cal engineering  of  the  voice.  He  has  won  out  in 
spite  of  a  serious  handicap.  More  often,  at  a  cer- 
tain stage  of  vocal  development,  when  a  singer 
stands  face  to  face  with  his  vocal  limitations, 


120  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

which  he  feels  really  ought  not  to  exist,  the  struggle 
for  real  vocal  efficiency  becomes  a  fight  in  the  dark. 
He  first  resorts  to  one  device  and  then  another.  He 
gains  here  and  loses  there.  He  thrusts,  grasps  at 
every  opening,  and  with  valiant  persistence  strives 
to  wrench  himself  free  from  troublesome  physical 
environments.  This  frequently  occurs  within  the 
range  of  what  he  feels  to  be  his  natural  vocal  limi- 
tations. The  tenor  feels  that  he  should  sing  his  A 
or  Bl>  because  sometimes  he  can  do  it.  He  ought 
to  sing  this  interval  or  that  interval  with  reason- 
able regularity,  and  at  the  same  time  he  is  con- 
scious of  the  fact  that  there  is  considerable  uncer- 
tainty about  the  matter.  If  he  has  a  slight  cold 
or  is  not  just  in  what  he  calls  "  good  voice,"  he  is 
reasonably  certain  that  he  will  not  arrive  when  the 
time  comes.  All  these  and,  as  a  matter  of  fact, 
nearly  all  other  similar  difficulties  have  their  origin 
in  the  incorrect  'fundamental  principle  of  voice  pro- 
duction as  followed  in  modern  vocalism.  In  modern 
voice  culture,  placing  the  voice  is  considered  to  be 
the  first  necessary  step;  for  instead  of  fixing  the 
mind  upon  a  musical  effect  desired,  the  direction 
of  thought  is  generally  towards  placing  the  voice 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  121 

\ 

in  some  part  of  the  anatomy — the  front  teeth,  the 
back  of  the  nose,  the  hard  palate,  or  the  top  or  the 
back  of  the  head,  or  the  spine.  The  student  is  told 
he  should  feel  certain  sensations  in  the  chest,  in 
the  mouth,  in  the  forehead — and  he  forthwith  sets 
about  to  do  something  with  the  object  o'f  making 
such  sensations  come  to  him.  It  is  a  good  deal 
like  telling  the  boy  that  in  order  to  catch  the  spar- 
row, you  must  first  put  salt  on  his  tail.  Then, 
with  supreme  indifference  to  anything  like  observ- 
ance to  the  laws  of  nature,  the  student  is  told  to 
hold  his  larynx  down  or  up  in  order  to  produce 
correct  results ;  and  in  order  further  to  clarify  the 
situation,  he  is  told  to  raise  his  uvula  and  at  the 
same  time  to  hold  down  his  larynx. 

A  complete  and  authentic  record  of  these  and 
similar,  if  not  even  more  grotesque  methods,  all  of 
which  are  worse  than  useless,  would  fill  many  a 
volume  of  interesting  reading  as  bearing  upon  the 
right  and  wrong  principles. 

It  is  sufficient  for  the  present  purposes  to  point 
out  the  futility  of  such  methods,  and  the  positive 
harm  which  is  liable  to  accrue  from  all  devices 
which  attempt  directly  to  control  the  organ  of 


122  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

sound,  or  any  part  of  the  physical  mechanism  of  the 
voice-producing  apparatus,  during  phonation  or 
singing.  Devices  which  have  for  their  purpose  the 
controlling  of  the  parts  with  some  accompanying 
consideration  orregard  for  musical  effect  are  vicious 
and  tantalizing,  because  the  mechanical  control 
always  obtrudes  itself  in  a  more  or  less  offensive 
manner  and  the  cause  of  failure  is  not  so  apparent. 

Devices  which  have  for  their  purpose  the  control- 
ling of  the  parts  without  regard  for  the  musical 
effect  are  at  the  same  time  the  most  ridiculous  and 
the  most  monstrous  in  their  evil  effects.  On  the 
other  hand,  devices  which  have  for  their  purpose 
the  bringing  about  of  flexibility  of  the  body,  and 
might  be  properly  classified  under  the  head  of 
physical  culture,  are  generally  commendable.  The 
knowledge  and  skill  of  the  teacher  here  become 
strong  factors  in  the  development. 

The  correct  mental  attitude  and  the  proper 
physical  condition  are  the  necessary  requirements 
for  complete  success. 

"  Support  the  tone,"  is  one  of  the  empirical 
slogans  of  the  old  school,  and  to  support  the  tone 

is  no  more  or  less  than  to  feed  the  tone  with  the 
\ 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  123 

breath.  Instead  o'f  instructing  to  support  the 
tone  or  feed  the  breath,  the  instruction  generally 
should  be  to  sing  the  tone  steadily  and  evenly.  The 
mind  then  conceives  the  effect  desired,  and  the 
breath  actually  feeds  the  tone  automatically  in  re- 
sponse to  the  idea  of  effect  previously  conceived. 
The  same  mental  process  should  obtain  in  the 
consideration  of  the  old  empirical  instruction, 
"  Sing  on  the  breath."  David  D.  Taylor,  in  his 
"  Psychology  of  Singing,"  points  out  very  clearly 
a  common  error  in  modern  teaching  in  these  words : 
"  Empirical  knowledge  is  always  applied  in  the 
prevailing  mechanical  spirit.  The  attempt  is 
always  made  to  translate  the  subconscious  empiri- 
cal understanding  of  the  voice  into  rules  for  direct 
mechanical  management.  Under  the  influence  of 
the  mechanical  idea,  the  modern  teacher's  most 
valuable  possession,  empirical  knowledge  of  the 
voice,  becomes  utterly  unserviceable." 

Instead  of  instructing  to  sing  on  the  breath, 
the  proper  instruction  would  again  be,  "  Sing 
the  tone  steadily  and  evenly."  The  singer's 
sensation  would  be  the  hearing  of  the  tone, 
steadily  and  evenly  sung,  the  consciousness  of 


124  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

vocal  poise,  and  the  appreciation  of  tonal  balance. 

The  physiological  consideration,  if  given  to  the 
pupil  as  the  initiative,  frequently  results  again  in 
getting  the  cart  before  the  horse.  It  generally  has 
succeeded,  and  it  generally  will  succeed,  most  ad- 
mirably in  producing  a  miserable  failure  in  the 
working-out,  because  the  principle  is  wrong;  be- 
cause it  is  diametrically  opposed  to  the  natural  law 
of  the  expression  of  human  emotions. 
COMMON  ERRORS 

Technical  skill  in  singing  comes  from  practice, 
the  same  as  is  the  case  with  other  instruments — 
for  the  human  voice  may  be  considered  as  an  instru- 
ment; but  practice  does  not  always  make  perfect, 
either  with  the  voice  or  with  the  violin  or  piano. 
It  is  the  kind  of  practice,  rather  than  the  number 
of  hours  given  to  it,  which  determines  the  result. 
The  vocal  mechanism  is  the  most  difficult  to  under- 
stand, because  during  singing  the  instrument  can- 
not be  observed,  and  we  know  by  experience  that 
the  attempt  to  obtain  direct  management  of  the 
muscular  movements  during  singing  is  nothing 
short  of  monstrous  in  its  evil  effects. 

The  general  principle  that  there  is  one  way  in 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  125 

which  the  voice  must  be  handled  during  the  prac- 
tice of  singing  is  essentially  incorrect,  because  this 
involves  the  attempt  to  compel  the  phenomena  of 
voice  rather  than  to  permit  it  to  occur.  Only  when 
the  voice  is  permitted  to  act  involuntarily  in  re- 
sponse to  the  fiat  of  will,  directed  along  the  line  of 
effect  desired,  will  it  steadily  grow  in  beauty  and 
ease  and  finally  approximate  technical  perfection. 

Fortunately,  all  teachers  do  not  agree  that  the 
voice  must  be  handled  in  some  way  either  spon- 
taneous or  instinctive  in  order  to  improve  it.  Ex- 
pression in  song  is  identical  with  expression  in 
speech,  so  far  as  conscious  management  of  the 
apparatus  is  concerned,  and  any  attempt  to  deviate 
from  this  principle  is  bound  to  be  more  or  less 
injurious.  The  more  earnest  the  student,  the  more 
disastrous  the  result  under  wrong  thought  and  the 
acceptance  of  principles  which  are  not  in  accord 
with  natural  laws. 

Nevertheless,  it  is  true  that  the  prevailing 
thought  since  the  time  of  Garcia  has  been  that  the 
voice  must  be  managed  by  giving  direct  attention 
to  the  management  of  the  muscles  involved,  and 


126  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

this  we  may  call  the  most  destructive  common  error 
of  the  day. 

This  error  has  been  fruitful  of  more  discord 
than  can  ever  be  estimated.  In  fact,  it  has  brought 
about  universal  confusion.  The  gist  of  the  matter 
has  been  vainly  sought  through  the  agency  of  direct 
local  control  of  the  parts  involved  ever  since  the 
discovery  of  the  laryngoscope  in  1855. 

History  records  that  the  empirical  methods  of 
instruction  were  in  use  for  the  first  one  hundred 
and  fifty  years,  dating  from  the  earliest  records 
of  the  old  Italian  school — the  year  1600 — which 
was  simultaneous  with  the  birth  of  Italian  opera. 
During  this  first  century  and  a  half  o'f  systematic 
voice  culture,  history  further  records  that  progress 
was  uninterrupted — as  evidenced  by  successful 
results. 

In  1723,  Tosi  published  the  first  known  book 
on  the  voice,  the  title  of  the  work  being  "  Osserva- 
zioni  Sopra  il  Canto  Figurato  " ;  and  three  years 
later  Mancini  published  his  "  Practical  Reflections 
on  the  Canto  Figurato."  The  principal  informa- 
tion of  a  specific  nature  regarding  the  voice 
is  embodied  in  their  ideas  about  the  registers. 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  127 

Tosi  says  that  there  are  three  registers,  and 
Mancini  says  there  are  only  two;  so  it  seems  that 
even  at  this  early  date  disagreement  prevailed  as 
to  theory.  In  1741,  Ferrein,  a  French  physician, 
published  a  treatise  on  voice  production,  and  there- 
after a  number  of  scientific  investigators  contrib- 
uted to  the  literature  of  the  day  regarding  the 
mechanical  operations  of  the  voice;  but  the  real 
devastating  mechanical  school  commenced  in  1855. 

In  1805  Manuel  Garcia,  the  son  of  Manuel  del 
Popolo  Viscenti,  was  born.  He  followed  in  the 
footsteps  of  his  father  as  a  singer  and  teacher, 
and  in  1832  commenced  his  vocal  studies.  Being 
of  an  inquisitive  turn  of  mind,  his  scholarly  in- 
stincts were  directed  along  the  lines  of  investigation 
regarding  the  subject  closest  to  his  heart.  His 
curiosity  was  aroused,  and  his  genius  for  discovery 
was  made  manifest  in  the  evolution  of  the  laryngo- 
scope. 

Garcia's  estimate  of  the  value  of  his  discovery 
has  been  spoken  of  in  another  chapter.  Suffice 
it  to  say  that  if  Garcia  had  been  warned  not  to 
depart  from  the  empirical  mode  of  instruction  in 
singing,  as  Lot's  wife  was  warned  not  to  turn 


128  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

around  in  her  flight,  a  good  many  present-day  vocal 
tragedies  would  have  been  obviated.  As  it  was, 
Garcia  was  the  first  to  base  practical  instruction 
in  singing  on  scientific  knowledge  of  the  mechanism 
of  the  voice,  and  thereby  unwittingly  precipitated 
nearly  as  great  a  calamity  upon  the  vocal  world 
as  that  which  biblical  history  tells  us  befell  Lot's 
wife. 

Present-day  writers  on  the  subject  of  voice  cul- 
ture are  unanimous  in  their  opinion  that  the  old 
empirical  methods  o'f  instruction  were  sufficient 
for  the  needs  of  olden  times,  but  often  deny  the  all- 
sufficiency  of  such  methods  for  modern  needs.  They 
think  that  something  has  been  lost.  This  is  not 
without  some  show  of  reason,  for  in  the  light  of 
known  and  acknowledged  facts,  the  celebrities  of 
past  decades  were  developed  in  this  way,  and 
singers  o'f  to-day  are  not  considered  to  have  been 
so  developed. 

"  The  Old  Italian  method  of  instruction,  to  which 
vocal  music  owed  its  highest  condition,  was  purely 
empirical,"  says  Emma  Seiler  in  her  book  entitled 
"  The  Voice  in  Singing  "  (1886). 

The  differences  of  opinion  are  now  more  pro- 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  129 

nounced  than  in  the  olden  times,  because  under  the 
influence  of  the  erroneous  general  principle  of 
mechanical  guidance  there  is  infinitely  more  oppor- 
tunity for  such  variety  of  opinion. 

The  chaos  that  has  resulted  is  but  a  natural 
consequence  of  the  opportunities  for  dissension 
thus  afforded. 

In  my  observation,  however,  the  delving  into  the 
science  of  physiology  for  the  satisfactory  answer 
to  the  eternal  question  is  more  prevalent  in  America 
than  in  any  country  of  Europe,  although  its  in- 
fluence is  everywhere  felt. 

THE  RESURRECTION  OF  THE  "  LOST 
VOCAL  ART  " 

IT  is  popularly  supposed  that  at  some  time  be- 
tween the  age  of  the  great  singers  and  the  present 
time  the  secret  of  the  old  art  of  successful  voice 
production  was  lost.  The  conjectures  as  to  ex- 
actly what  this  secret  was  have  been  numerous, 
but  all  explanations  as  to  what  it  was,  and  how  and 
when  it  was  lost,  have  been  unsatisfactory. 

The  physiological  analysis  of  vocal  phenomena 
has  been  time  and  again  proven  absolutely  inade- 


130  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

quate,  and  its  present  application  to  synthetic 
methods  has  made  it  a  misleading  factor  to  the 

O 

point  of  becoming  a  positive  menace  to  true  vocal 
art.  Individual  methods  have  been  more  or  less 
successful  in  developing  voices,  but  for  the  most 
part  artists  who  have  been  developed  by  these 
various  methods  have  been  unable  to  impart  their 
knowledge  in  such  a  way  as  to  be  practically  effi- 
cacious and  universally  successful — even  with  stu- 
dents who  possessed  the  necessary  musical  talent 
and  natural  voice. 

The  difficulties  of  overcoming  what  are  known 
as  the  breaks  in  the  voice  and  the  management  of 
the  registers  have  been  ever  present.  The  develop- 
ing of  voices  throughout  their  range,  so  as  to  pro- 
duce easy  and  effective  delivery  of  low,  medium, 
and  high  notes,  possessing  evenness  as  to  beauty 
of  quality,  power,  and  expressiveness,  has  presented 
obstacles  which  have  appeared  to  be  well-nigh 
insurmountable. 

The  mythical  something  known  as  "  THE  LOST 
ART  "  is  supposed  to  have  been  in  successful  oper- 
ation years  ago,  and  this  loss  is  referred  to  as  one 
of  the  great,  regrettable  calamities  of  vocal  history. 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  131 

If  it  could  only  be  found,  how  surely  present  diffi- 
culties would  be  overcome !  What  an  oasis  would 
spring  up  in  the  desert  of  forlorn  vocal  hopes  and 
ambitions !  All  theoretical  strife  and  discord  would 
cease,  and  unanimity  of  opinion  would  prevail 
regarding  the  chief  essentials  in  voice  development. 
Peace,  harmony,  and  general  vocal  prosperity 
would  prevail.  Lo — the  vocal  millennium  would  be 
at  hand ! 

Historians  tell  us  truly  that  the  old  masters  le'ft 
no  written  records  or  instruction  as  to  this  wonder- 
ful secret.  The  vital  principle  "which  was  seemingly 
the  fountain  spring  of  universal  success  is  appar- 
ently a  mythical  something  which  is  generally  given 
up  as  lost,  and  its  life  and  deatjh.  as  an  entity  are 
shrouded  in  deepest  mystery.  |We  have  nothing 
left  but  the  historical  records  of  \?  ork  which  is  sup- 
posed to  have  owed  its  success  to  the  knowledge 
of  this  unknown  or  unrecognizec  1  principle  or 
recipe. 

It  is  a  significant  fact  that  the  commencement 
of  the  decline  of  the  old  successful  schi^l  was  coin- 
cidental with  the  commencement  of  wx'iat  is  now 
known  as  scientific  voice  production,  bathed  upon 


132  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

the  investigation  of  physiological  facts.  Tosi  and 
Mancini  said  nothing  of  these  things,  probably  be- 
cause their  art  did  not  rest  upon  knowledge  of  the 
physiological  phenomena. 

Shortly  before  the  advent  of  Garcia,  various 
attempts  were  made  to  establish  a  science  of  voice 
production  based  on  the  knowledge  of  physiology. 
This  movement  was  given  impetus  by  the  use  of 
the  laryngoscope,  and  Garcia's  first  belief  was  that 
his  discovery  would  be  of  incalculable  value  and 
benefit  in  the  synthesis  of  vocal  development.  Ex- 
perience proved  the  contrary,  and  Garcia's  own 
opinion  regarding  its  value  to  the  vocal  world  was 
materially  changed  before  the  end  of  his  career. 

Physiology,  in  its  present  accepted  relation  to 
vocal  art,  must  be  consigned  to  its  proper  position 
in  the  minds  of  men,  and  the  true  living  principle 
be  reinstated.  The  sciences  of  acoustics,  physi- 
ology, and  other  kindred  sciences  have  their  analy- 
tical corroborative  value,  but  the  bread  of  vocal 
life — past,  present,  and  future — was,  is,  and  shall 
be  the  science  of  psychology. 

The  many  scientific  works  which  have  been  writ- 
ten informing  us  more  or  less  correctly  concerning 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  133 

the  conditions  of  body  and  of  sound  (acoustics) 
during  phonation,  serve  little  purpose  so  far  as  the 
advancement  of  practical  voice  building  is  con- 
cerned. The  old  teachers  did  not  know  anything 
about  these  things  as  such,  and  were  blissfully 
free  from  the  influence  of  misapplied  science  of 
later  days. 

Many  of  our  modern  singers  and  would-be 
singers  have  given  up  the  ghost  in  a  vocal  sense, 
having  been  thrown  to  the  crocodiles,  or  sacrificed 
upon  the  altar  of  scientific  investigation. 

We  departed  from  the  empirical  system  of  voice 
training,  being  lured  away  by  the  glamor  of  a  short 
cut  to  vocal  glory.  This  short  cut  was  to  be 
made  possible  by  the  knowledge  of  physiological 
conditions  during  song,  as  shown  by  analysis.  This 
paved  the  way  for  innumerable  and  useless  contro- 
versies concerning  the  scientific  truth  of  such  con- 
ditions, and  while  the  attention  of  the  vocal  world 
was  being  directed  to  this  presumable  mine  of  Solo- 
mon, the  precious  moments  were  fleeing.  The  re- 
sult was  lost  time,  or  worse,  for  the  individuals 
engaged  in  these  futile  explorations. 

We  are  returning  worn  and  weary  from  pros- 


134  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

pecting,  sadder  but  wiser  men  and  women ;  for  we 
have  learned  the  exact  location  of  the  real  treasure. 
No  more  vocal  sing-quick  schemes  should  entice  us 
from  the  reliable  path  to  vocal  freedom. 

The  snares  and  delusions  of  the  pseudo-scientists 
and  the  beckonings  of  the  true  scientists,  toward  the 
goal  of  knowledge  with  which  we  are  not  vocally 
concerned,  should  alike  be  powerless  to  distract.our 
attention. 

Like  the  wise  men  of  old,  our  eyes  should  be  riv- 
eted upon  the  bright  particular  star  of  our  quest. 
The  constellations  of  the  vocal  firmament  should 
not  longer  beguile  or  blind  us.  We  are  now  able 
to  proceed  by  the  light  of  rightly  applied  science, 
with  no  more  interruption  or  aggravation  or  vexing 
of  spirit  than  those  which  are  contingent  upon  the 
experience  and  happenings  of  every  wayfarer  on 
the  road  to  learning  and  accomplishment. 

Regarding  the  old  Italian  method,  it  is  obvious 
that  the  main  idea  was  naturalness  of  expression, 
coupled  with  sustained  beautiful  tone  and  agility, 
perfected  by  years  of  training.  Each  voice  was 
exercised  with  particular  reference  to  its  natural 
characteristic,  known  as  its  "  genre"  Evidence 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  135 

that  the  cut-and-dried  method  for  all  voices  was 
not  a  part  of  the  old  Italian  school  or  system,  is 
shown  by  Mancini  in  his  historical  sketch  of  these 
schools.4  He  says  that  the  most  celebrated  schools 
which  flourished  for  so  long  a  time  in  Italy  and  were 
still  in  existence  at  the  end  of  the  last  century, 
sent  out  many  singers  who  were  made  famous  not 
only  by  their  profession,  but  by  the  number  of 
new  singers  they  made  in  return.  To  these  they 
transmitted  in  uninterrupted  succession  the  beau- 
ties of  the  art,  In  their  own  varied  styles? 

Speaking  of  the  various  great  singers  who  were 

4  Farinelli  was  perhaps  the  most  distinguished  pupil  of 
the  school  of  Porpora.  In  1727,  when  he  was  in  Rome,  he 
met  Bernacchi. 

In  a  grand  duo  these  rival  singers  sought  to  outdo  each 
other  in  the  pouring  forth  of  beautiful  voice  and  in  the 
execution  of  difficult  passages.  Farinelli,  owning  his  in- 
feriority, requested  Bernacchi  to  give  him  lessons,  which 
he  did.  This  resulted  in  perfecting  the  voice  of  Farinelli. 
He  had  seven  or  eight  tones  more  than  ordinary  singers. 

Mancini,  in  writing  of  his  voice,  says:  "This  voice  was 
thought  a  marvel  because  it  was  so  perfect,  so  powerful,  so 
sonorous,  and  so  rich  in  its  extent  that  its  equal  has  never 
been  heard." 

•Among  the  oldest  and  most  successful  singers  and 
teachers  was  Alessandro  Scarlatti,  born  in  Sicily  in  1659. 
He  taught  in  Naples  and  Rome. 

Scarlatti  was  considered  the  founder  of  the  Neopolitan 


136  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

the  shining  lights  of  vocal  art  at  the  end  of  the 
seventeenth  century,  Mancini  says  of  the  Chev. 
Baldassare  Ferri,  born  in  Perugia :  "  He  was  pos- 
sessed of  a  most  beautiful,  flexible,  sweet,  and 
harmonious  voice,  and  had  the  widest  range  one 
ever  heard.  His  contemporaries  wrote  that  words 
could  not  express  the  beauty  of  his  voice  and  his 
graceful  manner  of  singing.  He  had  to  a  high 
degree  all  the  necessary  schooling  in  every  style  of 
singing.  He  was  joyful,  -fierce,  grave,  and  tender, 
all  at  will. 

"  Again,  Francesca  Boschi,  of  Bologna,  was  a 
celebrity  of  .such  Intelligence  that  in  Venice  she  was 
baptized  the  *  Musical  Solomon.' 

School.  His  most  notable  pupil  was  Porpora  (1686-1767), 
called  the  greatest  singing  master  of  that  time.  Porpora 
was  the  teacher  of  Caffarelli,  born  in  1703,  and  of  Farinelli, 
born  in  1705. 

The  first  school  of  music  in  Italy  was  established  in 
Bologna  ten  years  before  the  discovery  of  America,  1482. 

Pistocchi  (Bologna,  1700)  was  the  teacher  of  the  cele- 
brated Pasta. 

Francesco  Tosi  (1650-1730)  was  also  trained  at  Bologna. 

Manuel  del  Popolo  Vicenti  Garcia  was  born  in  1775,  at 
Seville.  He  went  to  Italy  in  1811  and  was  received  as  an  artist 
in  Naples  and  Rome.  There  he  met  Anzani  (1750),  one  of 
the  best  tenors  of  the  day.  He  had  much  to  do  with  the  elder 
Garcia's  further  development  as  a  singer  and  teacher. 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  137 

"  Two  other  singers  equally  celebrated  were  Sif- 
ace  and  Chev.  Matteucci,  who  were  considered 
singular  for  their  evenness  of  voice  and  interpreta- 
tion. When  eighty  years  of  age,  Matteucci  was 
still  able  to  sing  in  any  style,  and  preserved  a  voice 
of  such  clarity  and  purity  that,  if  he  were  not  seen, 
one  would  think  him  a  singer  in  the  flower  of  his 
youth.  Francesco  Antonio  Pistocchi  taught  many 
great  singers  and  teachers.  One  of  his  pupils  was 
Antonia  Bernacchi,  who  taught  in  Bologna.  Ber- 
nacchi  was  the  teacher  of  Mancini.  He  was  said  to 
have  possessed  by  nature  a  voice  of  only  ordinary 
calibre,  not  very  good,  but  by  persistent  and  pains- 
taking endeavor,  and  strict  attention  to  advice 

O 

given  by  Pistocchi,  he  developed  a  voice  of  great 
beauty,  extension  and  power.  He  became  famous 
as  a  singer  in  Italy,  Germany,  England,  and  par- 
ticularly at  the  Bavarian  court.  Finally,  Bernac- 
chi became  famous  as  a  teacher.  Among  the  other 
celebrated  pupils  of  Pistocchi  were  Antonio  Pasi  of 
Bologna,  Giambattista  Mirelli  and  Annibale  Pio 
Fabri  of  the  same  city,  and  Bartolino  di  Faenza." 
Mancini  points  out  that  the  five  celebrated  pupils 
of  Pistocchi,  although  receiving  their  instruction 


138  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

from  one  teacher,  had  each  an  absolutely  different 
style,  each  one's  style  corresponding  to  his  disposi- 
tion and  natural  gifts.  He  states  further  that  to 
be  a  successful  teacher  of  the  voice  one  cannot  have 
only  one  way  of  instructing  pupils.  The  teacher 
must  know  many  ways  in  which  to  handle  his  pupils, 
and  in  order  to  train  each  individual  he  must  know 
the  right  remedy  for  each  voice. 

This  is  a  strong  argument  against  the  general 
supposition  that  some  particular  method,  in  its 
generally  accepted  meaning,  was  in  vogue  in  the 
olden  times.  It  does  not,  however,  present  an  argu- 
ment against  the  most  probable  fact,  that  the  old 
teachers  followed  a  general  principle  which  may 
be  scientifically  explained  as  psychological  rather 
than  physiological. 

In  the  old  schools  the  mental  attitude  determined 
the  results,  and  the  mental  attitude  being  directed 
along  the  lines  of  idealization  of  effect,  the  physical 
development  followed  as  a  natural  consequence. 

A  striking  example  of  the  prevalent  use  of  this 
principle  came  under  my  observation  during  my 
student  days  in  Milan,  Italy.  It  was  my  privilege 
to  hear  the  first  five  performances  of  "  Pag- 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  139 

liacci  "  at  the  Dal  Verme  theatre.  I  attended  the 
opera  pretty  regularly,  and  was  particularly  inter- 
ested in  this  production,  as  I  was  personally 
acquainted  with  the  composer,  Leoncavallo.  There 
was  a  great  deal  of  interest  among  the  artists 
concerning  the  methods  of  the  leading  tenor.  The 
young  artist  selected  to  create  the  role  of  Canto. 
had  had  little  stage  experience.  He  had  only 
recently  made  his  debut  as  Lohengrin  at  a 
provincial  theatre,  and  there  was  a  good  deal  of 
speculation  as  to  the  success  he  would  make  as 
Camo.  He  appeared  on  the  opening1  night,  and 
made  a  distinct  hit  with  the  public — singing  with 
what  is  known  as  the  wide  open  white  tone.  When 
he  commenced  the  great  lament,  "  Recitar  mentre 
preso  dal  delirio,"  the  "  open  "  effect  was  more 
pronounced,  and  when  he  arrived  at  the  "  Ridi 
Pagllacci  sul  tuo  amore  in  franto,"  it  did  not  seem 
possible  that  he  could  finish  the  phrase  with  that 
style  of  singing. 

The  large  number  of  professional  tenors  who 
were  "  at  liberty,"  and  who  nightly  congregated 
in  the  rear  of  the  theatre,  momentarily  expected  to 
hear  Giraud  crack  and  collapse.  Giraud  did  noth- 


140  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

ing  of  the  kind.  He  went  right  along  singing,  and 
finished  his  engagement  of  a  number  of  weeks.  The 
fact  of  the  matter  was  that  he  had  not  unduly 
opened  his  throat,  although  he  had  come  danger- 
ously near  it.  He  had  used  the  most  extreme  white 
tone  known  in  Italy,  as  a  matter  of  taste  in  expres- 
sion. In  this  particular  opera,  so  full  of  excessive 
passion  and  violence,  the  artistic  portrayal  of  the 
part  permitted  the  vocal  exaggeration.6 

One  year  later  I  heard  Giraud  in  the  opera 
"  I  Lombardi."  I  was  astonished  at  the  apparent 
change  of  voice;  he  was  singing  throughout  the 
opera  "  tutto  chiuso"  or  what  is  known  as  the 
closed  tone — in  reality,  the  dark  color  of  the 
sombre  voice.  The  style  of  singing  was  completely 
changed.  Giraud  sang  Pagliacci  afterwards,  and 
again  used  the  white  color ;  but  not  to  the  extreme 
degree  as  at  the  time  of  his  debut. 

Taylor's  work  on  the  "  Psychology  of  Singing  " 
is  strong  in  the  tearing-down  of  the  principle  of 

8M.  Victor  Maurel,  that  sterling  artist,  great  as  an  actor 
as  well  as  a  singer,  created  the  role  of  Tonio.  It  was  Maurel 
who  suggested  the  writing  of  the  prologue — as  he  reviewed 
the  opera  before  this  most  important  number  was  written. 

Maurel  created  Falstaf  at  La  Scala  in  1893.  The  writer  had 
the  pleasure  of  hearing  the  first  performance  of  the  opera. 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  141 

the  prevailing  schools  of  mechanical  vocal  manage- 
ment, but  we  find  nothing  in  the  history  of  vocal  art 
to  support  the  avowed  purpose  of  his  work, — i.e., 
to  prove  the  scientific  soundness  of  instruction 
by  imitation.  In  fact,  the  direct  instruction  was 
to  avoid  this  very  thing,  on  account  of  its  tendency 
to  destroy  individuality  in  the  singer. 

The  statement  is  often  heard  that  there  are  only 
two  ways  of  learning  to  sing — the  right  way  and 
the  wrong  way.  This  is  perfectly  correct.  The 
right  way  is  the  skilful  following  out  of  the  right 
principle,  and  the  wrong  way  is  the  attempt  to 
accomplish  guided  by  wrong  principles.  The  right 
principle,  then,  is  the  striving  toward  a  purely  sub- 
conscious physical  activity,  superinduced  by  a  cor- 
rect idealization  of  the  effect  to  be  produced. 

The  wrong  principle  is  the  striving  toward  a 
conscious  physical  activity,  directed  toward  the 
process  rather  than  the  idealization  of  desired  effect. 

The  fundamental  principle — the  determining 
force  and  chief  characteristic  of  the  successful  old 
Italian  system  of  singing  and  teaching  the  voice — 
is  thus  satisfactorily  explained. 

The  old  masters  trained  their  pupils  by  observ- 


142  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

ing  and  criticizing  the  sounds  o'f  the  voice,  and  the 
general  effect  produced  by  the  singer.  Inciden- 
tally, the  vocal  organs  were  trained.  The  old 
masters  studied  and  taught  the  voice,  the  modern 
masters  study  and  teach  the  physical  mechanism 
of  the  vocal  organs,  and  thereby  hope  to  improve 
the  voice.  This  has  been  the  fatal  error.  The 
chasm  between  the  two  principles,  which  at  first 
seemed  to  be  so  small,  so  very  narrow  and  inconse- 
quential, gradually  widened  until  the  parting  of 
the  ways,  unnoticed  at  the  time,  was  finally  lost 
sight  of  by  succeeding  generations  of  teachers  and 
singers.  Then  came  the  awakening  to  the  fact 
that  something  was  wrong.  The  champions  of  this, 
that,  and  the  other  favored  theory  or  method  vied 
with  each  other,  and  chaos  reigned.  Every  method 
based  upon  the  physiological  idea  of  direct  control 
of  muscular  activity  of  one  kind  or  another — in 
short,  the  primary  training  of  the  vocal  apparatus, 
instead  of  the  training  of  the  voice — brought  dis- 
tress and  failure  as  its  major  resultant. 

The  failure  to  comprehend  the  significance  of  the 
difference  between  training  the  voice  and  thereby 
training  the  vehicle  of  voice,  as  opposed  to  training 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  143 

the  vehicle  of  voice,  thereby  hoping  to  train  the 
voice,  is  the  failure  which  has  precipitated  so  many 
vocal  tragedies,  which,  no  doubt,  is  the  respon- 
sible agent  in  chief  of  the  discord  and  dissension, 
and  which  has  resulted  in  such  a  deplorable  confus- 
ion and  distortion  of  the  truth. 

It  has  already  been  stated  that  the  old  success- 
ful school  of  singing  was  empirical  in  its  method. 
This  means  that  the  observations  of  the  sounds 
of  the  voice  presented  the  only  basis  of  inquiry  as 
to  the  vocal  conditions.  The  questions  of  adjust- 
ment of  that  part  of  the  organs  of  sound  capable 
of  direct  manipulation,  did  not  enter  into  the 
synthetic  or  building  up  process. 

Studying  the  vocal  mechanism  was  not  a  part 
of  the  old  system.  The  laws  of  their  operation 
were  unknown,  and  therein  perhaps  was  the  safety 
and  surety  of  the  old  mode  of  procedure.  There 
is  no  greater  exemplification  of  the  fact  that  a  little 
knowledge  is  a  dangerous  thing,  than  is  contained 
in  the  evidence  bearing  on  this  subject.  Tosi's 
observation,  "  that  the  voice  which  is  not  well 
produced  seems  to  be  choked  in  the  throat,"  is  an 
example  of  calling  attention  to  an  undesirable  con- 


144  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

dition  from  effect  produced.  The  opposite  of  this 
condition  is  that  the  voice  really  should  not  seem 
to  be  choked  in  the  throat.  It  is  not  natural  to 
choke  the  tone  in  the  throat  in  spontaneous  vocal 
expression,  hence  the  instruction  "  ca/nta  nat- 
urale,"  which  means  "  sing  naturally." 

If  the  energy,  influenced  by  the  will  powei,  is 
directed  alone  towards  seeking  a  placement  of  the 
voice  mechanically,  it  is  improperly  directed.  If, 
on  the  other  hand,  the  energy  is  directed  princi- 
pally towards  delivering  the  message,  it  is  then 
properly  directed  and  will  make  far  better  condi- 
tions of  sound.  The  first  method  represents  the 
building  up  of  systematic  artificiality  in  tone  pro- 
duction. This  art  of  artificial  tone  production  has 
been  brought  to  a  very  perfect  condition  in  some 
instances,  but  this  highway  'frequently  leads  to 
vocal  injury.  So  far  as  the  true  art  of  self-expres- 
sion is  concerned,  it  frequently  leads  to  a  goal  which 
is  not  desirable  or  desired — albeit  that,  to  a  certain 
extent,  beautiful  tones,  regarded  as  mere  meaning- 
less sounds,  may  oftentimes  accompany  the  result. 
In  short,  mechanical  beauty,  cold  and  crystalline,  is 
possible  but  not  assured  along  this  dangerous  high- 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  145 

way.  Hard,  strident  tones  more  frequently  mark 
the  result,  because  the  human  voice  is  not  and  can- 
not be  treated  as  an  instrument  of  wood  or  metal. 

The  Old  School  was  right  in  principles,  and  so 
far  as  it  went,  was  sound  in  doctrine.  The  prin- 
ciples of  the  Old  School,  however,  were  tempor- 
arily discarded  in  the  insane  pursuit  off  results 
along  impossible  lines — impossible  because  in  direct 
violation  of  nature's  laws.  This  fact  was  not  dis- 
covered until  repeated  failure  to  accomplish  good 
results  along  the  new  lines  of  procedure  proved 
to  the  vocal  world  that  they  were  hot  upon  the 
trail  of  an  undesirable  quarry. 

Whether  the  theory  that  the  quality  of  tone  is 
determined  by  the  resonance  cavities  alone,  or  from 
changes  of  the  vocal  cords  as  held  by  Professor 
Scripture,  should  not  be  the  chief  point  of  con- 
sideration to  the  vocalist.  The  mere  belief  in  the 
correctness  or  incorrectness  of  these  various  con- 
clusions has  little  bearing  upon  the  true  synthesis 
of  correct  voice-production.  As  has  been  said  be- 
fore, it  is  a  very  interesting  study,  this  physio- 
logical and  anatomical  analysis  of  vocal  conditions 
during  phonation ;  but,  regarded  as  a  helpful  fac- 


146  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

tor  in  perfecting  a  system  of  vocal  training,  these 
considerations  must  be  used  with  discretion,  even  in 
the  hands  of  the  "  conoscienti."  Generally  speak- 
ing, they  resolve  themselves  into  a  formidable  factor 
militating  against  desirable  or  desired  results. 
THE  CORRECT  FUNDAMENTAL  PRINCIPLE 

We  have  found  that  the  fundamental  principle 
representing  the  backbone  of  the  old  and  success- 
ful school  of  singing  was  that  which  is  known  to 
science  as  the  psychological  principle,  the  mental 
consciousness  of  effect  in  vocal  utterance  being 
the  constant  consideration  and  guide  for  the 
singer.  The  idea  of  improvement  through  the  de- 
velopment of  the  physical  powers  by  means  of  exer- 
cises guided  for  the  most  part  by  musical  concep- 
tion and  appreciation,  was  the  actual  though  un- 
named vital  principle  of  thought  and  action.  It 
has  been  truly  said  that  the  old  masters  were  not 
aware  of  the  scientific  soundness  of  their  position. 
It  was  not  skill  of  physical  adjustment  which  was 
sought,  but  rather  obtained,  as  a  consequence  of 
mental  conception  of  effect  desired. 

The  gradual  and  perfectly  natural  increase  of 
physical  power,  endurance,  and  general  vocal  abil- 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  147 

ity  was  the  result.  The  effect  conceived  deter- 
mined the  character  of  the  physical  development 
as  a  natural  consequence. 

Training  a  singer  to  meet  the  demands  of  music 
written  for  the  coloratura  soprano,  for  instance, 
meant  practising  scales,  roulades,  trills,  etc., 
which  would  naturally  develop  agility  in  execu- 
tion. The  tenor  and  soprano  leg.giero,  were 
trained  in  a  similar  manner.  Other  voices  were 
trained  more  especially  by  means  of  exercises  more 
sustained  in  character.  Breath-control  was  a 
consequence  of  exercises  of  long-sustained  vocal 
phrases,  but  be  it  remembered  that  the  development 
of  breath-control  was  purely  a  consequence.  If 
the  singer  during  the  period  of  training  could  not 
sustain  a  phrase  to  its  end,  he  was  never  told  to 
conserve  his  breath.  He  was  told  to  do  those 
things,  which  actually  brought  about  the  most 
favorable  physical  condition  for  breath  supply. 

He  then  continued  practising  different  exercises 
and  solfeggi,  which  gradually  developed  the  breath- 
ing muscles,  and  consequently  sustaining  ability. 
None  of  this  heritage  is  lost.  The  various  books  of 
exercises  with  and  without  words  are  available  now 


148  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

as  they  have  always  been.  Method  in  its  old  signifi- 
cance was  merely  the  arrangement  of  graded  exer- 
cises adopted  by  various  teachers,  and  which  were 
sung  in  a  manner  to  satisfy  the  ear  of  the  master. 

The  term  "  method  "  arrived  at  the  point  of 
serious  and  dangerous  significance  when  the  vari- 
ous schools  of  local  mechanical  adjustment  of  the 
physical  parts  involved  commenced  to  be  consid- 
ered as  a  principle  of  development. 

The  principle  proved  the  undoing  of  the  vocal 
world.  The  living  principle  was  sidetracked  and 
forgotten.  In  the  place  of  natural  expression,  the 
principle  of  mechanical  guidance  was  introduced 
as  the  preparatory  measure.  It  proved  to  be  a 
weed  of  evil  influence  which  grew  steadily  until  the 
virtuous  stalk  of  direct  idealism  of  effect  was 
nearly  choked.  It  is  of  vital  importance  that  this 
weed  be  pulled  up  by  the  roots  and  forever  dis- 
carded— to  be  used  neither  as  a  preparatory  meas- 
ure nor  as  an  assisting  agent.  In  either  capacity, 
it  is  a  detriment  to  true  vocal  progress.  The  degree 
of  the  evil  influence  can  be  measured  only  by  the 
amount  of  dependence  placed  upon  its  efficacy,  and 
the  amount  of  time  spent  in  considering  its  effect. 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  149 

As  has  been  pointed  out,  some  singers  succeed 
in  spite  of  it,  and  even  endorse  the  systems  which 
include  the  acceptance  of  these  same  pernicious  doc- 
trines. Such  singers  have  signally  failed  to  grasp 
their  true  significance.  The  good  has  outweighed 
the  evil  in  the  general  working-out,  and  they  have 
succeeded,  to  a  certain  extent,  in  spite  of  the 
retarding  stultifying  influence  of  these  doctrines. 

Even  so,  the  probabilities  are  that  the  same 
artists  would  find  an  immense  relief  in  the  matter 
of  vocal  effort,  as  well  as  immense  improvement 
in  vocal  effect,  if  they  were  to  differentiate  more 
carefully.  The  effect  off  what  is  known  as  a  mere 
cultivated,  well-placed  and  expressive  voice  is  much 
more  readily  acquired  without  mechanical  guid- 
ance: this  without  reference  to  the  immeasurable 
untold  suffering  and  error,  evidenced  by  the  pre- 
mature breaking-down  of  the  voices,  superinduced 
by  its  influence. 

Properly  speaking,  methods  are  systematic 
means  of  acquiring  skill  in  singing,  and  are  pri- 
marily good  or  bad  according  to  the  underlying 
principles  by  which  they  are  governed.  The  resur- 
rection of  the  lost  vocal  art  is  possible  in  every 


150  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

vocal  studio,  simply  by  a  reversion  to  the  true 
living  principle  and  the  extermination  of  these 
false  principles.  The  individual  methods  will  then 
mean  the  various  arrangements  of  vocal  exercises  to 
meet  the  requirements  of  the  individual  case,  and 
the  use  of  devices  to  produce  the  necessary  physical 
elasticity.  Success  will  then  depend  upon  the  skill 
of  the  teacher,  and  the  receptability  of  the  pupil. 

With  the  general  recognition  of  correct  under- 
lying principles,  the  race  for  supremacy  would  be 
fully  as  exciting  and  interesting  and  be  attended 
by  far  better  results.  Comparative  success  would 
then  be  a  matter  of  skill,  resulting  from  experience 
in  the  working-out  of  the  same  principles,  and  not 
in  the  working-out  of  different  principles.7 

The  secret  of  success,  then,  in  using  or  training 
the  voice,  lies  primarily  in  the  skilful  use  of  the  cor- 

7  At  a  recent  meeting  of  a  well-known  medical  society 
an  exhibition  was  given  by  exponents  of  the  avowedly  physio- 
logical school  and  their  pupils.  In  the  opinion  of  a  number 
of  well-known  singers  who  were  present,  the  results  of  their 
efforts  were,  to  say  the  least,  unsatisfactory. 

At  the  close  of  the  meeting  a  distinguished  impresario  and 
conductor  remarked  to  the  writer:  "It  was  awful!  There 
wasn't  a  decent  tone  made  here  to-day" — an  opinion  in 
which  the  audience  generally  concurred. 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  151 

rect  principle,  easily  within  the  grasp  of  all.  The 
practical  activities  in  the  Old  School  consisted  in 
the  training  of  the  singer's  ear  to  detect  in  the 
sounds  of  his  own  voice  the  desirable  and  the 
undesirable  character  of  tones,  and  in  the  training 
of  the  ear  to  detect  in  the  sounds  of  other  voices  the 
same  undesirable  and  desirable  character  of  tones. 
This  comprehended  a  system  of  subjective  and  ob- 
jective study.  During  this  period  the  judgment 
of  tonal  effect  was  developed,  and  the  ear  of  the 
singer  was  eventually  the  final  court  of  appeal. 

The  old  masters  and  singers  were  fully  aware  of 
the  fact  that  the  singer  is  at  first  incapable  of 
correctly  estimating  the  value  of  his  own  voice  as 
to  the  quantity  or  quality,  and  hence  the  entire  de- 
pendence of  the  singer  upon  the  judgment  of  the 
master.  By  constant  attention  to  the  advice  of  the 
master,  the  singer's  ear  was  educated  to  the 
recognition  of  both  good  and  bad  effects.  The 
power  of  discrimination  in  the  effect  of  their  own 
voices  was  thus  established.  Coincidentally,  famil- 
iarity with  the  physical  effect  upon  the  singer 
himself  during  the  production  of  his  own  voice 


152  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

was  an  added  factor  in  the  consciousness  of  right 
and  wrong  production. 

The  singer's  sensation  during  song  was  a  sup- 
plementary means  of  determining  right  and  wrong 
conditions.  In  this  way  his  judgment  was  devel- 
oped :  he  learned  by  experience. 

Careful  attention  to  correct  intonation  and  tone 
quality  throughout  the  exercises,  from  single  sus- 
tained tones  to  the  most  elaborate  musical  figures, 
was  constantly  enforced  by  the  master,  but  never 
directed  to  the  process  of  the  physical  phenomena. 

Herein  lies  the  difference  between  the  successful 
empirical  system  of  the  Old  School  and  the 
mechanical  systems  of  the  present  day.  It  is  not 
a  surprising  development  in  the  progress  of  voice 
culture  that  the  idea  of  mechanical  adjustment 
•gradually  superseded  the  empirical  system.  Here 
was  something  new  under  the  sun !  Here  was  a  short 
cut  to  the  goal  desired !  Here  was  a  knowledge  of 
something  which  appeared  on  the  surface  to  have  a 
direct  and  intimate  relation  to  vocal  art !  It  took 
time  and  a  long  try-out  to  discover  that  a  serpent 
had  crept  into  the  garden  of  the  vocal  Eden,  and  it 
has  taken  time  to  realize  that  the  effect  of  the  fatal 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  153 

step  is  analogous  to  the  effect  of  original  sin. 

During  this  period  of  gradual  change  of  prin- 
ciple the  devastating  effect  was  not  immediately 
discernible.  It  acted  as  a  sort  of  slow  poison. 
The  feeling  of  conscious  direct  control  of  the 
parts  at  first  lent  a  feeling  of  security  which 
was  grateful  to  the  singer.  The  combination 
of  the  mechanical  idea,  and  the  intuitive  prompt- 
ings of  the  singer  towards  wholesome  expression, 
presented,  as  it  still  presents,  a  curious  inter- 
mingling of  evil  and  good.  The  elemental  charac- 
ter of  effect  attending  the  strict  following  out  of 
each  of  these  principles  has  been  plainly  shown 
to  be  decidedly  favorable  to  the  automatic  adjust- 
ment of  the  parts  under  the  system  employed  by 
the  Old  School ;  but  under  the  fantastic  hallucina- 
tion that  mechanical  guidance  was  to  be  an  assist- 
ing factor  in  the  making  of  a  singer,  the  evil  in- 
fluence gradually  worked  its  way  insidiously  into 
the  general  constructive  scheme. 

The  art  of  mechanical  guidance  became  a  fine 
art,  but  at  a  cost  of  wear  and  tear  upon  the  vocal 
mechanism,  which  resulted  in  the  early  breaking 


154  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

down  of  voices,  in  harshness  of  quality,  and  in  a 
mistaken  conception  of  real  vocal  power. 

The  art  of  fine  expression  commenced  to  lose 
its  place  in  the  general  result.  Teachers  and  sing- 
ers experienced  a  difficulty  in  adjusting  or  plac- 
ing the  voices  heretofore  unknown  at  this  juncture. 
Getting  the  voice  in  the  right  place  was  deemed  to 
be  the  necessary  preliminary  step  to  artistic  expres- 
sion, and  ever  since  the  vocal  world  seems  to  have 
blindly  accepted  this  order  of  procedure. 

This  is  when  the  cart  was  formally  placed  be- 
fore the  horse — resulting1  in  the  grotesque  or  tragic 
position  of  many  vocal  students  of  to-day.  The 
psychological  principle  is  the  something  which  has 
been  lost — so  frequently  referred  to  by  the  earnest 
seekers  after  truth  and  contemporaneous  writers. 
This  is  the  light  of  past  ages  that  has  become  dim 
by  non-use.  This  is  the  lamp  that  must  be  trimmed 
and  kept  burning,  that  its  rays  may  shed  effulgence 
in  the  dark  places  of  the  vocal  world,  illuminating 
the  paths  which  lead  to  the  estate  of  ideal  vocal 
conditions,  unsullied  and  unhampered  by  the  accu- 
mulated clouds  of  error — ever  ready  to  carry  the 
message  of  the  mind  and  the  soul. 


PART  II 


THE  SYNTHESIS  OF  VOICE   PRODUCTION 

GENERAL    OBSERVATIONS    IN    PRACTICAL    VOICE- 
BUILDING 

IN  preparing  a  practical  synthetic  system  of 
vocal  development,  it  is  advisable  to  point  out 
clearly  at  the  outset  that  no  two  voices  can  be 
trained  in  exactly  the  same  manner,  for  the  reason 
that  all  voices  possess  either  different  defects,  or 
the  same  defects  in  different  degrees.  All  vocal 
combinations  are  different  in  different  voices. 
Method  must  be  utilized  by  the  singer  and  teacher 
to  meet  the  requirements  of  each  individual  case. 

Voices  should  be  tonally  trained  in  the  musical 
scale,  from  the  natural  conversational  tones  of  the 
speaking  voice — generally  from  the  highest  easy- 
speaking  tone — downward,  and  then  from  the 
lowest  tone  upward,  taking  care  that  the  exten- 
sion exercises  should  be  graduated.  At  no  time 
should  the  voice  be  forced  upward  or  downward, 
beyond  the  pitch  of  comfortable  delivery. 

In  this  way  the  normal,  natural  development 

157 


158  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

will  take  place  in  the  most  satisfactory  manner. 
The  moment  the  ear  of  the  teacher  detects  a  tone 
in  the  least  degree  strident  or  unpleasant,  the  fact 
should  be  pointed  out,  in  order  that  the  pupil  shall 
not  form  the  habit  of  accepting  in  his  own  voice 
a  tone  quality  which  is  undesirable. 

The  relation  of  the  singing  and  the  speaking 
voice  is  so  intimate  that  it  is  well  to  remember 
that  the  expressive  singing  voice  is  identical  with 
the  expressive  speaking  voice.  In  the  words  of 
Dr.  Fillebrown  of  Harvard  University,  the  only 
difference  is,  "  that  the  singing  voice  is  sustained, 
and  changed  from  one  pitch  to  another  by  definite 
intervals,  over  a  wide  compass  that  includes  notes 
not  attempted  in  speech. 

"  In  speaking,  tone  is  unsustained,  not  defined 
in  pitch,  and  the  length  of  the  tone  is  not  gov- 
erned by  the  measure  of  music." 

Dr.  Morrell  MacKenzie's  saying  that  "  singing 
is  a  help  to  good  speaking,  as  the  greater  includes 
the  less,"  is  a  point  well  taken ;  and  it  is  also  true 
that  good  speaking  is  a  help  to  good  singing.  This 
is  a  fact  well  worth  remembering,  as  it  is  of  con- 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  159 

stant  educational  value  in  developing  the  singing 
voice. 

The  careless  mumbling  of  words  in  ordinary 
conversation  is  in  itself  not  only  most  reprehensible, 
but  it  acts  as  a  positive  detriment  to  the  progress 
of  the  singing  voice,  and  to  the  singer's  art  of 
distinct  delivery  of  words  in  song. 

In  song,  words  and  music  are  inseparable,  one 
is  a  concomitant  part  of  the  other,  and  bad  habits 
of  careless  articulation,  enunciation,  and  pronun- 
ciation are  formidable  factors  militating  against 
the  vocal  interests  of  the  singer. 

It  is  of  the  greatest  importance  also  to  remem- 
ber that  the  art  of  singing  is  an  art  of  self-expres- 
sion from  beginning  to  end,  and  this  fact  should  be 
observed,  kept  constantly  in  mind  at  every  stage 
of  training.  The  moment  we  forget  the  fact,  we 
are  in  danger  of  degenerating  into  vocal  artifi- 
ciality. 

Regarding  the  classification  o'f  voices,  they  clas- 
sify themselves  under  a  healthy  and  normal  system 
of  voice  culture,  provided  that  the  exercises  given 
are  properly  graded.  Commencing  with  the  nat- 
ural speaking  voice,  the  outline  of  the  true  singing 


160  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

voice  forms  itself  as  unmistakably  as  the  develop- 
ment of  a  photographic  film. 

TERMINOLOGY 

The  terminology  of  various  schools  of  singing 
extant  has  been  criticised  by  some  writers  as  in- 
definite and  as  having  no  meaning.  This  criti- 
cism is  in  a  certain  sense  just — that  is,  when  the 
terminology  conveys  no  meaning  to  the  student. 

Terms  which  cannot  be  clearly  comprehended 
or  understood  should  be  avoided,  on  account  of 
the  confusion  which  may  result  in  the  mind  of 
the  student.  What  may  be  called  psychological 
or  empirical  terminology  is  important  if  properly 
applied,  and  such  terminology  is  perfectly  admis- 
sible. As  a  rule,  it  is  more  desirable  than  physio- 
logical terminology,  inasmuch  as  singing  is  more 
psychological  than  physiological.  It  is  only  neces- 
sary that  an  understanding  exist  between  teacher 
and  pupil  as  to  the  meaning  of  the  term,  relative 
to  its  practical  bearing  on  what  is  required. 

Terminology,  properly  applied,  is  nothing  more 
nor  less  than  a  code,  or  kind  of  shorthand  communi- 
cation, and  is  useful  in  order  to  facilitate  the  work. 

It  is  enough  that  the  student  understand  what 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  161 

the  teacher  means.  Any  part  of  a  cut-and-dried 
terminology  which  conveys  no  meaning  to  the  stu- 
dent, and  which  the  student  vainly  tries  to  com- 
prehend, results  only  in  a  vague,  hazy  mental  con- 
dition not  productive  of  good  results.  Such  terms 
should  speedily  be  changed  to  a  mode  of  expression 
which  can  be  grasped  by  the  student,  as  evidenced 
by  successful  results  in  practical  application. 

If  a  term  conveys  the  idea  which  proves  fruitful 
of  particularly  good  results,  there  is  every  reason 
to  believe  that  it  is  wise  to  use  that  term  or  expres- 
sion so  long  as  it  serves  its  purpose. 

The  vocabulary  of  terms  in  common  use  could 
be  reduced  advantageously  to  all  concerned,  and 
the  work  of  voice-building  brought  to  a  much  more 
easy  and  satisfactory  basis  as  a  consequence  of 
such  reduction.  The  old  Italian  precepts  which 
are  traditional  have  been  in  a  measure  summed  up 
as  follows: 

"  Sing  on  the  breath." 

"  Open  the  throat." 

"  Sing  the  tone  forward." 

"  Support  the  tone." 

Taylor  in  his  "  Psychology  of  Singing  "  gives 


162  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

a  very  complete  and  lucid  explanation  of  the  gen- 
eral thought  o'f  the  day  regarding  these  traditional 
precepts,  which  shows  that  their  interpretation 
as  they  stand  depends  entirely  upon  the  viewpoint. 
They  admit  of  a  wide  diversity  of  opinion  as  to 
their  practical  meaning,  and  although  these  slogans 
still  obtain  in  nearly  all  modern  vocal  studies,  their 
interpretation  is  as  diversified  as  possible,  viewed 
in  the  light  of  practical  results. 

These  precepts  of  the  old  Italian  School  can  be 
best  understood  by  those  who  have  had  practical 
experience  as  students  under  the  Italian  masters 
themselves,  or  their  disciples ;  to  the  layman,  they 
are,  in  fact,  almost  unintelligible. 

When  Lamperti,  the  famous  teacher,  said, 
"  La  voce  che  non  e  appoyiata,  sul  petto  non  va," 
he  referred  to  the  consciousness  of  chest  vibra- 
tions during  phonation.  This  consciousness  is 
most  pronounced  in  the  lower  voice,  less  in  the 
medium,  and  still  less  in  the  upper  voice. 

The  construction  put  upon  these  terms  by  the 
writer  has  been  set  forth  in  a  previous  chapter, 
and  has  been  referred  to  as  the  weakness,  not  the 
strength,  of  the  old  Italian  School,  'for  the  reason 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  163 

that  the  terms  are  capable  of  too  many  construc- 
tions put  upon  their  meaning. 

A  strong  factor  of  the  old  Italian  School  was 
undoubtedly  the  practical  demonstrations  of  the 
Maestri.  In  this  way  they  made  their  meaning 
clear.  Pupils  were  not  asked  to  imitate  the  mas- 
ter, but  by  hearing  the  master  produce  the  tone 
they  more  readily  acquired  the  mode.  This  might 
be  called  intuitive  absorption  of  how  to  accomplish 
results  rather  than  imitation — as  the  art  of 
mimicry. 

"  Singing  on  the  breath  "  and  "  supporting  the 
tone  "  mean  practically  the  same  thing.  As  to 
"singing  the  tone  forward,"  the  natural  production 
of  the  voice  is  forward,  providing  that  the  breath 
having  been  properly  taken,  is  allowed  to  pour  out 
— the  breath  is  not  wilfully  controlled  in  exit. 
,The  open  throat  is  an  explanatory  term,  and  should 
never  be  used  as  a  constructive  principle,  because 
a  part  of  the  throat  actually  opens  properly  in 
response  to  the  putting  into  effect  of  the  desire 
to  produce  words  or  vowels  without  restraint.  The 
old  Maestri  more  often  said,  "  Open  the  mouth  " — 
not  "  Open  the  throat."  This  latter  was  a  result. 


164  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

The  terminology  which  has  resulted  in  such  con- 
fusion to  students  and  teachers  alike  is  the  attempt 
to  make  use  constructively  of  terms  which  can  be 
properly  used  only  analytically. 

REGISTERS 

The  consideration  of  changes  of  register  in  the 
voice  is  important  on  account  of  the  general  failure 
to  comprehend  the  significance  of  normal  and  nat- 
ural changes  of  register  as  distinguished  from 
abnormal  and  unnatural  changes. 

To  will  a  change  o'f  registers  is  to  depart  from 
the  theory  that  registers  change  automatically  in 
response  to  natural  law,  incidental  to  pitch  and 
character  of  expression.  It  eliminates  the  pri- 
mary psychological  factor  as  the  means  of  most 
successful  accomplishment  in  the  musical  expres- 
sion of  an  idea. 

These  changes  of  register  are  incidental  in 
speech,  exactly  as  in  song.  They  are  constantly 
noticeable  in  the  voices  of  well  trained  orators  or 
actors.  Those  who  were  fortunate  enough  to  have 
heard  the  voice  of  the  Italian  tragedian,  Tommaso 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  165 

Salviui,  will  particularly  appreciate  the  truth  of 
this  statement. 

Every  change  of  register  which  is  brought  about 
by  compelling  a  phenomenon,  such  as  wilfully 
carrying  the  register  up  or  down,  is  driving  a  nail 
in  the  artificial  construction  of  voice,  so  prevalent. 
On  the  other  hand,  every  change  of  register  which 
occurs  as  a  physical  sequence  to  tone  idealism,  and 
coincidentally  with  the  natural  expression  of  ideas, 
is  forging  the  correct  chain  of  natural,  normal, 
enduring  voice. 

To  raise  the  uvula  or  to  lower  it  wilfully  during 
song  represents  a  device  consistent  with  the  scheme 
of  voice  production  based  upon  physiological  prin- 
ciples, which  must  be  uncompromisingly  con- 
demned. As  a  physical  exercise,  it  has  been  con- 
sidered a  good  thing  to  raise  and  lower  the  uvula, 
and  to  raise  and  lower  the  base  of  the  tongue,  by 
voluntarily  opening  the  pharynx:  what  is  com- 
monly called  "  opening  the  throat." 

If  you  stand  before  a  mirror  and  command  your- 
self to  open  the  mouth,  and  then  to  open  the  back 
of  the  mouth,  so  that  under  observation  the  tip  of 
the  tongue  is  found  to  touch  the  lower  teeth,  and 


166  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

the  back  of  the  tongue  to  lower  itself  and  the  uvula 
to  rise  and  to  fall,  all  in  response  to  the  will  (to 
open  the  pharynx  so  that  you  can  look  down  your 
own  throat),  you  may  be  performing  a  useful  exer- 
cise in  promoting  muscular  elasticity  of  the  organs. 
The  organ  may  then  be  in  a  better  condition  to 
respond  to  the  will  to  sing  a  free  tone  on  an  open 
vowel,  or  to  sing  a  free  tone  on  a  closed  vowel. 
However,  in  connection  with  this  subject,  it  is  best 
to  consider  that  unless  special  difficulties,  as  evi- 
denced by  effect,  are  encountered,  these  special 
muscular  exercises  are  not  advisable.8 

The  tongue  is  perhaps  the  most  important  mem- 
ber of  the  physical  part  of  speech.  An  unruly 
tongue  is  a  formidable  adversary  to  success,  In 
more  ways  than  one. 

In  singing,  the  tongue,  instead  of  being  mobile 
as  it  always  should  be,  frequently  becomes  quite 
the  opposite.  Tongue  stiffness  is  generally  a 
sympathetic  stiffness,  caused  by  the  habit  of  direct 

8 "  Speaking  generally,  the  soft  palate  should  be  kept  in 
a  negative  state, — that  is,  there  should  be  an  absolute  lack 
of  tension  of  the  muscles  composing  and  surrounding  it, 
that  it  may  properly  perform  its  real  function — that  of  tun- 
ing the  resonating  cavities  of  the  mouth  and  nose." — CUBTIS. 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  167 

and  purposeful  muscular  control  of  tone  or  breath 
or  both.  Under  normal  healthy  conditions,  the 
tongue  should  be  as  pliable  and  as  supple,  and  as 
ready  to  respond  to  correct  pronunciation  of  words 
in  song,  as  in  speech.  Such,  however,  is  generally 
not  the  case. 

A  stiff  and  immobile  tongue  is  an  ever  present 
accompaniment  of  totally  or  partially  incorrect 
tone.  Sometimes  rolling  the  r  is  an  excellent  exer- 
cise for  promoting  desirable  flexibility  of  the 
tongue.  For  instance  speak  the  words  "  frail  "  and 
"  fragile  "  as  in  ordinary  conversation.  There  is  no 
particular  occasion  for  rolling  the  r  in  order  to 
make  ourselves  perfectly  intelligible;  but,  never- 
theless, a  slight  rolling  of  the  r  will  result  in  con- 
centration of  the  following  vowels  and  in  producing 
a  more  distinct  utterance,  desirable  in  speaking 
and  singing  in  a  large  auditorium.  It  is  there- 
fore commendable  both  as  an  exercise  and  as  a 
means  of  expression.  In  delivering  the  Italian  text 
it  is  quite  indispensable. 

An  exaggeration  of  the  rolling  of  the  r  is  also 
permissible,  as  testing  the  ability  to  use  this  mode 
of  expression.  Ordinarily,  the  effect  would  justly 


168  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

create  the  impression  of  affectation  in  speech ;  but 
in  certain  forms  of  expressions,  such  as  might  be 
useful  in  presenting  a  tragedy  or  comedy  part,  such 
exaggeration  would  be  perfectly  legitimate  and 
artistic. 

The  exercise  of  pronouncing  words  with  the 
prefix  of  I  and  n  is  beneficial  in  bringing  about 
the  same  flexibility  of  the  tongue — as  lo,  lay, 
loo,  lee,  lah,  etc.  In  the  general  study  of  songs, 


i 


no       nay     noo      nee      nah — Articulate  well, 
lo        lay      loo       lee       lah 

words  and  music  are  of  equal  importance.  It  is 
an  excellent  plan  first  to  pronounce  distinctly  the 
words  of  the  text  in  a  quiet  manner  as  in  ordinary 
conversation,  then  to  pronounce  the  same  words  in 
an  emphatic  manner.  Then  invest  the  phrase  with 
the  musical  attribute  of  sustained  pitch — it  then 
becomes  song.  If  the  sustaining  of  the  vowel 
sounds  is  uninterrupted,  and  these  vowel  sounds 
merge  one  into  the  other,  it  becomes  a  phrase, 
characterized  as  "  legato."  If  these  vowel  sounds 
are  distinctly  interrupted,  and  are  sung  with  short, 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  169 

sharp  enunciation,  the  phrase  becomes  a  staccato 
phrase. 

The  cart  before  the  horse  is  in  evidence  when  the 
instruction  is  given  to  hold  the  tongue  immovable 
until  the  vowel  is  finished,  and  the  reason  for  such 
instruction  is  given,  "  as  otherwise  another  sound 
will  creep  in."  The  proper  instruction  would  be 
to  sustain  the  sound  with  strict  attention  to  the 
maintaining  of  the  unchangeableness  of  the  vowel 
character  to  the  very  end. 

It  will  then  be  found  that  the  tongue  will  remain 
motionless  during  such  phonation,  as  a  natural 
consequence.  This  is  illustrative  of  another  com- 
mon error,  according  to  scientific  principles. 

Willing  the  process  is  a  wrong  mode  of  pro- 
cedure ;  willing  the  effect  is  right.  "  The  act  of  will 
is  a  spiritual  act,  and  is  conscious  in  its  origin,  but 
not  in  its  physical  processes.  Its  results  are  made 
manifest  to  consciousness  through  a  sense :  we  will 
to  move — we  see  the  movement."  (Lunn.)  Like- 
wise, we  will  to  express  by  song  or  speech,  and  we 
hear  the  sounds  of  the  voice. 

As  a  rule,  students  have  to  be  taught  what  is 
and  is  not  good  in  the  sounds  of  their  own  voices. 


170  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

Every  effective  method  of  training  the  voice 
properly  must  have  for  one  of  its  important  com- 
ponent parts  the  training  of  the  singer's  ear  to 
listen  to  his  or  her  own  voice,  and  to  become  famil- 
iar with  the  physical  sensations  accompanying 
correct  tone  production. 

The  true  tone,  expressing  any  emotion  of  the 
human  mind,  admits  of  a  wide  variety  of  tone  color- 
ing and  tonal  power,  but  is  never  accompanied  by 
a  conscious  local  strain  or  restraint — from  pianis- 
simo to  fortissimo  sustained  singing,  in  the  crescen- 
dos  or  diminuendos,  or  in  the  tone  coloring  incident 
to  the  natural  expression  of  any  emotion. 

The  ear  of  the  expert  voice  trainer  must  be 
unerring  in  detecting  faults,  and  it  is  the  experi- 
ence of  all  successful  voice  teachers  that  the  student 
at  first  frequently  rejects  in  his  own  voice  that 
which  he  accepts  as  good  in  other  voices — and  vice 
"versa,  accepts,  sometimes  with  extreme  self-com- 
placency, the  very  thing  in  his  own  voice  which  he 
rightly  considers  wrong  in  the  voices  of  others. 
Here  is  where  the  truly  competent  vocal  teacher 
shows  his  worth. 

Ease  of  delivery,  though  an  absolutely  necessary 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  171 

characteristic  of  correct  voice  production,  is  not 
by  any  means  the  only  factor  to  be  considered.  Re- 
laxed, breathy  tonal  work  is  easy  but  ineffective, 
unconvincing,  and  means  nothing  in  vocal  art. 

The  laws  of  psychology  governing  true  voice 
production  are  easy  to  understand,  but  unfor- 
tunately have  never  received  sufficient  attention 
from  vocal  teachers  and  singers. 

These  laws  being  understood,  the  proper  mental 
attitude  toward  the  psychological  and  physiologi- 
cal influences  now  becomes  of  paramount  impor- 
tance. 

The  curse  of  the  very  prevalent  mechanical  sys- 
tem of  voice  building,  which  has  proved  so  generally 
disastrous  to  good  results,  has  been  the  persistent 
attempt  on  the  part  of  teachers  to  train  the  voice 
by  direct  attention  to  the  governing  of  one  or  more 
of  the  physical  parts ;  true  enough  these  are  in  use 
functionally,  but  when  correctly  used  are  gov- 
erned indirectly  by  an  all-wise  and  most  wonderful 
law  of  nature,  which  provides  that  the  various  parts 
shall  act  coordinately  and  involuntarily,  in  response 
to  the  fiat  of  will  to  express  thoughts  and  ideas  of 


172  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

any  meaning  or  emotional  intensity,  and  without 
local  guidance  or  restraint. 

Strict  attention  to  enunciation,  pronunciation, 
and  distinct  articulation  in  speech  should  go  hand 
in  hand,  if  not  precede  exercises  in  sustained  tones, 
scales,  and  florid  vocalization  in  the  vocal  cur- 
riculum. 

In  this  way  much  of  the  rigid  muscular  vocal 
misery  of  singers  would  be  avoided. 

Too  many  students  and  singers  have  what  may 
be  classified  as  a  perverted  ear — due  for  the  most 
part  to  becoming  accustomed  to  the  sound  of  their 
own  voices  singing  meaningless  tones. 

In  an  article  which  appeared  in  the  Laryngo- 
scope, St.  Louis,  April,  1908,  Dr.  G.  Hudson 
Makuen,  the  eminent  laryngologist,  says :  "  The 
faculty  of  hearing  in  so  far  as  it  relates  to  the 
faculty  of  speech  may  be  divided  into  two  classes, 
subjective  hearing  and  objective  hearing. 

"  By  the  former  is  meant  the  hearing  of  one's 
own  speech  at  the  time  of  its  production  by  the 
natural  organs,  and  by  the  latter  is  meant  the 
hearing  of  the  speech  of  others  and  the  reproduc- 
tion of  one's  own  speech,  as  in  the  phonograph. 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  173 

"  That  there  should  be  a  difference  in  these  two 
classes  of  hearing  is  apparent  when  we  consider 
their  physiology.  In  subjective  hearing  the  sound 
waves  are  received  not  only  through  the  external 
auditory  canal  by  air  conduction,  and  through  the 
external  bones  of  the  head,  but  also  and  in  large 
measure  directly  from  the  organs  of  speech 
through  the  Eustachian  tube,  and  through  what 
may  be  called  internal  bone  conduction. 

"  In  objective  hearing  the  sound  waves  are  con- 
ducted through  the  external  auditory  canal, 
through  the  bones  of  the  head,  and  to  some  extent 
also  through  the  Eustachian  tube,  but  the  direct 
effect  of  the  actual  vibrations  in  the  laryngeal,  oral, 
and  nasal  cavities  so  manifest  in  subjective  hearing 
is  entirely  lacking. 

"  In  addition  to  these  physical  differences  be- 
tween subjective  and  objective  hearing,  there  is  a 
less  tangible,  but  no  less  actual  psychical  differ- 
ence. A  man  hears  the  speech  of  others  with  a 
more  or  less  critical  ear,  while  to  his  own  speech  he 
turns  a  tolerant  and  even  approving  ear."  Dr. 
Makuen  concludes  his  interesting  and  important 
article  by  saying:  "  Hearing  in  its  finality  is  a 


174  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

mental  process,  and,  like  all  mental  processes,  it  is 
susceptible  to  training.  It  is  in  many  respects 
analogous  to  the  sense  of  sight,  We  hear  in  great 
measure  what  we  have  learned  to  hear,  and  what  we 
desire  or  will  to  hear,  and  it  is  of  prime  impor- 
tance that  we  learn  to  hear  ourselves  aright,  be- 
cause the  inability  to  do  this  leads  to  grave  defects 
of  voice  and  speech  .  .  ." 

THE  PROVINCE  OF  THE  VOICE 
SPECIALIST 

WHILE  it  may  be  a  fact  capable  of  demonstration 
beyond  peradventure  that,  under  certain  mental 
and  physical  conditions,  a  certain  line  of  thought 
and  action  will  develop  uniformly  desirable  vocal 
form  for  all  singers,  it  is  undeniably  true  that 
under  conditions  which  may  be  described  as  faulty 
these  same  lines  of  thought  and  action,  though 
thoroughly  admirable  and  commendable  in  them- 
selves, may  prove  to  be  totally  inadequate  in 
accomplishing  its  purpose.  Under  such  conditions, 
special  treatment  is  generally  necessary,  and  it  is 
quite  possible  that  ideas  and  activities,  seemingly 
antagonistic  to  the  general  approved  outline  of 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART          175 

theory  and  practice,  may  be  safely  advanced  and 
exercised.  In  cases  where  the  student  has  erron- 
eous ideas  as  to  the  character  of  his  tones,  resulting 
possibly  from  long  indulgence  in  faulty  vocal  effort, 
which  has  finally  resulted  in  fixed  habits  of  thought 
and  action,  producing  what  he  believes  to  be  good 
results,  but  which  are  in  reality  quite  the  opposite, 
it  may  be  necessary  to  administer  restoratives  and 
treatment,  which  under  more  favorable  conditions 
would  be  unnecessary.  Then  is  when  the  skill  and 
experience  of  the  voice  specialist  is  most  valuable — - 
in  fact,  indispensable. 

The  correct  physical  activities  of  a  singer  may 
be  dwarfed,  undeveloped  from  non-use,  or  abnormal 
muscular  development  may  have  been  acquired. 
The  musical  sense  of  the  beauty  of  his  own  voice 
may  have  become  sadly  distorted,  possibly  to  such 
an  extent  that  he  is  oblivious  to  the  fact  that  he  is 
uttering  vocal  sounds  which  are  entirely  at  variance 
with  even  his  own  ideas  of  beauty  or  legitimate 
power — as  he  would  judge  them  if  uttered  by  any 
one  but  himself.  Under  such  circumstances,  it 
becomes  necessary  for  the  singer  to  be  brought 
to  a  realization  of  these  tonal  defects,  and  in  order 


176  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

to  accomplish,  this,  it  may  be  necessary  for  the 
teacher  to  make  use  of  devices  to  promote  and  cor- 
rect the  physical  activities,  as  well  as  direct  the 
mind  along  certain  lines  which  would  be  entirely 
superfluous  as  general  treatment.  The  tempera- 
ment, plane  of  thought,  general  intelligence  as  well 
as  musical  intelligence  of  the  student,  are  also 
matters  of  prime  consideration  in  determining  the 
treatment. 

The  voice  specialist  has  a  tremendous  field  in 
which  to  operate,  and  his  responsibilities  are  grave 
as  influencing  the  careers  of  singers.  Without 
doubt,  he  himself  must  be  a  singer  of  experience 
and  attainments — none  other  is  fit  to  occupy  this 
field.  Moreover,  his  ear  must  be  educated  to  the 
sound  of  perfect  and  imperfect  tones  in  the  voices 
of  others,  and  He  must  possess  knowledge  of  means 
and  devices  to  correct  the  various  defects  as  they 
are  encountered  in  the  voices  intrusted  to  his  care. 
He  must  know  from  the  sound  of  the  voice  the 
specific  cause  of  peculiar  defects.  His  ideals  must 
be  the  result  of  knowledge  and  experience,  that  the 
realization  of  these  ideals  may  be  made  manifest 
in  the  voice  of  his  pupil. 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  177 

A  slight  cold,  if  neglected,  may  result  in  serious 
disease,  and  perhaps  death.  A  slight  defect  in 
vocal  delivery  may  likewise  develop  tonal  disease 
and  eventually  vocal  death. 

It  is  of  the  greatest  moment  that  the  field  of 
vocal  instruction  should  be  more  carefully  guarded 
from  intrusion  by  the  charlatans  and  blissfully 
ignorant  vocal  teachers.  At  the  present  time  it  is 
an  open  pasture,  in  which  graze  the  competent  and 
the  incompetent,  with  equal  privileges,  so  far  as 
any  restriction  is  concerned. 

To  arrive  at  the  goal  of  vocal  freedom  by  the 
vocal  artist,  years  of  faithful  attention  are  re- 
quired. Vocal  artists  are  not  born,  but  made  by 
slow  process.  Many  miss  the  highway  altogether 
and  wander  helplessly  through  the  byways  of  vocal 
effort,  or  through  the  maze  of  vocal  literature, 
accomplishing  nothing.  The  chief  cause  of  failure 
by  those  originally  possessing  the  necessary  voice 
and  musical  ability  may  be  traced  to  first  vocal 
instruction  at  the  hands  of  incompetent  teachers. 

What  may  be  accomplished  in  the  future  by 
way  of  correcting  these  existing  conditions  in  the 
vocal  field  is  problematical.  The  need  for  lawful 


178  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

restriction  is  evidenced  by  the  vast  army  of  vocal 
sufferers,  but  a  practical  solution  of  the  difficulty 
does  not  seem  to  be  at  Hand.  Special  education 
of  teachers,  and  the  general  education  of  the  pub- 
lic, are  the  only  possible  means  at  the  present  time. 
The  greatest  difficulty  in  preparing  the  way  for  a 
rigid  censorship  of  those  who  shall  be  admitted 
to  the  field  of  practice  in  vocal  art  is  encountered 
at  the  very  outset.  The  question  as  to  what  per- 
son or  persons  may  be  recognized  as  authority  on 
this  subject,  and  who  may  constitute  a  board  of 
examiners  to  determine  who  may  and  who  may  not 
be  permitted  to  teach,  is  one  on  which  it  would  be 
difficult  to  agree.  The  state  should  stand  in  author- 
ity, but  the  state  must  act  intelligently  or  not  at 
all.  Otherwise,  grave  complications  may  arise 
and  immeasurable  injustice  be  done  to  worthy 
vocal  teachers. 

The  curious  intermingling  of  right  and  wrong 
endeavors  on  the  part  of  teachers  presents  a  com- 
plex situation.  The  question  of  an  authoritative 
adjustment  which  would  promote  the  growth  of 
right  influences  on  the  vocal  world,  without  inflict- 
ing hardships  upon  the  workers  whose  efforts  are 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  179 

along  the  right  line,  is  one  which  demands  careful 
scrutiny.  It  is,  nevertheless,  a  question  which 
imperatively  demands  a  solution.  This  fact  is 
thoroughly  realized  by  the  comparatively  small 
force  of  really  competent  vocal  teachers  of  the 
day. 

Let  us  look  back  to  the  year  1777  and  see  how 
Mancini,  the  celebrated  singing  master  at  the 
imperial  court  of  Vienna,  thought  and  taught.  In 
his  "  Practical  Reflections  on  the  Figurative  Art 
of  Singing  "  he  shows  that  the  principal  work  in 
cultivating  the  voice  was  accomplished  by  exercises 
in  the  messa  di  voce,  trillo,  portamento  di  voce,  and 
exercises  covering  the  various  musical  intervals, 
in  both  legato  and  staccato  modes.  In  speaking  of 
the  voice  he  says :  "  The  voice  forms  itself  in  the 
mouth  by  the  flux  created  by  the  air  in  passing 
through  the  vocal  organs,  in  the  act  of  inspiration 
and  expiration."  Of  course,  Mancini  did  not  mean 
in  the  act  of  inspiration.  "  The  air  from  the  lungs 
acts  upon  the  larynx  in  singing  just  as  it  acts  upon 
the  head  of  a  flute  that  is  leaned  to  the  lips  for 
playing.  The  voice,  so  to  speak,  suspends  itself  in 
descending  from  the  highest  to  the  lowest  tones." 


180  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

Again,  "  We  find  sometimes  voices  that  are  very 
strong,  and  whose  sound  is  vigorous,  bright  and 
liquid.  Others  are  flexible  and  sweet.  Some  voices 
have  wide  range  and  are  exceedingly  sonorous," 
etc.,  etc.,  etc.  The  consideration  in  Mancini's 
work  is  for  the  most  part  of  voice  in  effect;  and 
the  above  is  about  the  extent  of  the  attempt  to 
analyze  conditions. 

Imitation  was  used  to  a  considerable  extent  as 
a  means  of  correcting  vocal  defects.  Says  Man- 
cini :  "  The  easiest  way,  and  the  one  by  which  I 
have  had  good  results,  is  to  give  the  student  the 
evidence  of  his  error;  and  to  this  end  the  teacher 
Himself  must  faithfully  reproduce  the  defect  of  the 
student." 

It  is  probable  that  such  information  is  respon- 
sible for  the  deductions  of  certain  theorists  that 
success  in  vocal  teaching  in  olden  times  depended 
upon  the  teacher's  ability  to  imitate  sounds  which 
were  undesirable  as  observed  in  the  voices  of  pupils, 
thus  pointing  out  the  wrong  effect;  likewise  upon 
the  teacher's  ability  to  produce  correct  tones,  thus 
furnishing  a  model  for  the  pupil  to  imitate. 

While  it  is  undoubtedly  true  that  the  old  methods 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  181 

of  voice-training  were  in  a  way  imitative,  it  is  also 
to  be  inferred,  from  the  various  records  of  the  past, 
that  the  imitative  art,  if  we  are  to  so  consider  it, 
must  have  been  an  imitative  art  in  the  broadest 
understanding  of  the  term,  and  not  a  purposeful 
imitation  as  in  mimicry. 

For,  further  as  Mancini  writes,  "  Singers  must 
always  pay  attention  not  to  acquire  that  common 
fault  of  imitating  too  closely  what  they  see  and 
hear ;  for  instead  of  improving  their  natural  gifts 
they  will  often  lose  them.  However,  I  do  not  mean 
to  exclude  imitation,  because  by  imitating  the  per- 
fect in  music,  using  sane  judgment  and  modifica- 
tions suitable  to  one's  own  particular  talent,  one 
perfects  himself.  To  imitate  what  the  great  musi- 
cians have  done  and  their  originals,  demands  ad- 
miration on  account  of  the  difficulty  in  doing  it." 

Proper  attention  to  the  accomplishment  of  cor- 
rect breath  control  is  perhaps  the  most  important 
thing  to  be  considered  by  the  teacher,  as  it  is  the 
most  important  accomplishment  of  the  singer. 

The  competent  voice  specialist  should  know  from 
experience  what  mental  and  physical  activities 
are  positive  factors  in  this  accomplishment,  in 


182  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

order  that  desired  results  should  not  be  unneces- 
sarily delayed. 

Fears  and  doubts  of  students  who  are  not  getting 
along  as  rapidly  as  they  should,  are  often  allayed 
by  teachers  through  the  assurance  that  all  will 
be  well  in  time — that  the  pupil  must  have  patience. 
The  pupil  is  supposed  to  have  confidence  in  his 
teacher,  and  generally  puts  his  trust  in  him. 

If  the  teacher  is  really  competent,  results  should 
be  forthcoming.  Progress  must  be  in  evidence. 
This,  however,  is  not  always  the  case,  and  the 
astounding  part  of  the  situation  is  that  many  in- 
telligent students  are  so  generally  deceived  for  so 
long  a  time  by  incompetent  teachers. 

Regarding  the  most  important  yet  little  under- 
stood factor — breath-control — the  teacher  should 
understand  the  correct  initiative  and  line  of 
thought  and  action  necessary  to  bring  about  the 
right  results,  although  it  is  not  always  necessary  or 
advisable  to  say  anything  about  the  breath  or 
breath-control. 

The  lack  of  knowledge  of  how  to  direct  the 
attention  of  the  pupil  is  the  general  cause  of  failure 
to  accomplish. 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  183 

For  instance,  while  it  may  be  true  that  the 
diaphragm  descends  during  inhalation  and  ascends 
during  exhalation,  it  is  inadvisable  to  direct  the 
attention  to  this  fact,  for  the  reason  that  it  almost 
invariably  results  in  an  attempt  to  regulate  the 
supply  and  distribution  of  breath  from  the  dia- 
phragm. 

This  most  important  muscle  of  inhalation  is 
thereby  seriously  hampered  in  the  natural  per- 
formance of  its  normal  functional  duty.  Instruc- 
tion to  control  the  breath  at  the  diaphragm  is  an 
error  which  cannot  be  too  severely  condemned. 

In  holding  or  expelling  the  breath,  the  abdom- 
inal and  intercostal  muscles,  aided  by  the  air  cells 
in  the  lungs,  represent  the  power. 

Hence  the  futility,  if  nothing  worse,  of  instruc- 
tion to  control  the  breath  at  the  diaphragm.  But 
further  and  still  more  important  is  the  truth,  that 
even  though  the  control  of  the  breath  may  be  scien- 
tifically explained,  and  the  physical  facts  con- 
clusively demonstrated,  it  is  nevertheless  a  mistake 
to  instruct  the  pupil  to  control  the  breath,  even  at 
the  place  where  it  is  actually  controlled;  because 
under  the  influence  of  direct  and  purposeful  con- 


184  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

trol  of  the  breath  we,  in  fact,  induce  a  condition 
which  precludes  the  possibility  of  natural  coordina- 
tion, or  of  anything  like  spontaneity  or  wholesome 
artistic  expression.  It  cannot  be  reiterated  too 
often  that  it  is  not  the  physical  facts  of  the  phe- 
nomenon of  voice  production  which  the  singer  has 
to  consider. 

The  analysis  of  physical  facts  has  not-  served 
as  a  successful  basis  for  the  synthetic  work  in  voice 
production,  and  the  general  mistake  has  been  in 
assuming  that  the  knowledge  of  facts  concerning 
the  actual  physical  phenomenon  during  phonation 
is  sufficient  reason  for  attempting  to  compel  these 
very  phenomena. 

In  singing,  proper  coordination  results  under  the 
natural  law  of  expression.  The  muscles  immedi- 
ately concerned,  in  an  elastic  or  favorable  con- 
dition, will  finally  automatically  respond  and  be- 
come a  part  of  the  desired  condition. 

From  the  physical  analysis  of  the  various  pos- 
sible kinds  of  breathing,  we  find  that  there  has  been 
in  the  past,  as  there  is  at  present,  a  great  deal  of 
difference  of  opinion  as  to  the  kind  of  breathing 
which  is  best  for  the  singer.  Ordinary  natural 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  185 

breathing  differs  somewhat  from  breathing  required 
for  singing.  Dr.  H.  Holbrook  Curtis  points  out 
very  clearly  the  advantage  of  the  kind  of  breathing 
which  is  most  useful  for  singers,  and  cites  the  cases 
of  celebrated  artists  who  have  used  it  with  such 
extraordinary  success.  Among  these  are  the  cele- 
brated tenor  Jean  de  Reszke  and  the  equally  cele- 
brated basso  Pol  Plan9on. 

It  is  not  splitting  hairs  over  unimportant  details 
to  suggest  that  the  condition  of  the  high  chest 
and  drawn  in  abdomen  results  naturally  by  stand- 
ing erect  with  the  shoulders  gently  thrown  back. 
The  best  means  of  acquiring  position  favorable  to 
pure,  beautiful,  and  expressive  tone  is  the  immedi- 
ate consideration ;  and  the  latter  means  of  acquir- 
ing the  position  of  high  chest  and  slightly  drawn 
in  abdomen  is  the  means  which  insures  physical 
elasticity  rather  than  the  undesirable  rigidity.  I 
first  studied  the  methods  of  breathing  used  by 
Jean  de  Reszke  by  closely  observing  him  in  action 
during  a  performance  of  "  Lohengrin "  at  the 
Grand  Opera  House  in  Paris.  This  was  previous 
to  his  debut  in  America.  A  few  weeks  later  I 
conferred  with  the  celebrated  Spanish  tenor  Vig- 


186  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

nas,  who  was  filling  an  engagement  at  Covent  Gar- 
den, London.  I  discussed  breathing  methods  with 
Signor  Vignas,  and  incidentally  he  sang  for  me  the 
narrative  of  "  Lohengrin "  in  exactly  the  same 
technical  manner  that  I  had  observed  as  the  charac- 
teristic feature  of  De  Reszke's  work.  I  do  not  refer 
in  any  way  to  the  method  of  teaching  of  Jean  de 
Reszke,  but  merely  to  the  actual  use  of  his  own 
voice,  which  I  have  always  considered  to  be  as 
nearly  perfect  as  possible. 

Whatever  can  be  done  towards  clarifying  the 
situation  regarding  the  proper  use  of  the  breath 
will  undoubtedly  be  a  boon  to  the  vocal  world,  and 
I  unhesitatingly  subscribe  to  what  is  known  in 
medical  terms  as  the  inferior  costal  breathing,  as 
distinguished  from  abdominal  or  clavicular  or 
high  chest  breathing.  The  protruding  abdomen 
in  inspiration  is  an  abomination,  and  the  clavicular 
breathing,  except  as  an  assisting  agent,  is  totally 
inadequate. 

In  the  absence  of  specific  instruction,  such  as 
"  breathe  naturally  "  or  "  just  take  a  low  breath," 
the  tendency  may  be  to  breathe  abdominally,  per- 
mitting the  abdomen  to  protrude,  which  distinctly 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  187 

promotes  what  is  commonly  known  as  "  forcing  the 
voice." 

The  instruction  to  relax  must  be  used  guardedly, 
as  the  tendency  to  flabbiness  and  lack  of  correct 
flexible  firmness  is  almost  certain  to  follow  such 
unqualified  instruction.  Relaxation  must  be  used 
as  a  comparative  term,  and  only  to  correct  the 
condition  of  rigidity. 

PRACTICAL  CONSIDERATIONS  FOR 
TEACHERS  AND  SINGERS 

THE  first  consideration  is,  beautiful  and  expres- 
sive tone  quality  in  vocalization,  or  in  the  delivery 
of  phrases. 

In  the  attempt  to  get  the  tone  forward,  the 
larynx  is  frequently  pushed  up.  Remember  that 
the  tone  can  be  forward  while  the  larynx  remains 
in  its  natural  low  position.  Your  throat  will  feel 
comfortable  if  you  let  it  alone.  Make  no  effort 
at  the  throat.  Sing  without  thinking  of  the  throat. 
Registers  take  care  of  themselves.  Changes  of 
register  should  occur  automatically,  and  must  al- 
ways be  considered,  if  considered  at  all,  as  natural 
physical  consequences  of  pitch,  character  of  ex- 
pression, or  both. 


188  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

The  student  should  practise  before  a  mirror 
frequently.  This  will  serve  to  guard  against  the 
forming  of  undesirable  habits  of  facial  expression. 
Unnatural  facial  distortions  in  singers  are  all  too 
common.  To  be  sure,  they  are  largely  the  result 
of  the  wrong  thought  regarding  tone  formation, 
but  the  use  of  the  mirror  is  a  distinct  advantage  in 
vocal  training. 

Extending  the  arms  freely  at  full  length  to  right 
and  left  respectively,  and  not  higher  than  the  nor- 
mal position  of  the  shoulders  and  slightly  in  ad- 
vance of  the  line  on  which  you  stand,  is  very  useful 
in  promoting  flexible  movements  of  the  body  and 
accomplishing  the  "  lift."  Coupled  with  the  right 
thought,  it  is  an  extremely  valuable  device  for  the 
development  of  buoyant  free  tone,  and  bringing 
about  the  automatic  breath  control. 

The  singer's  position  should  be  erect,  shoulders 
thrown  back  but  not  held  rigidly.  This  will  result 
in  the  favorable  condition  for  singing  described  as 
"  high  chest  and  abdomen  drawn  in."  Do  not 
confound  this  with  the  wilful  pulling  in  of  the  abdo- 
men, which  is  to  be  distinctly  avoided. 

The  vowel  ah  is  the  most  difficult  to  sing  per- 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  189 

fectly,  on  account  of  the  many  degrees  of  tone 
color  possible  in  its  delivery.  The  free  Italian 
ah  is  really  natural  only  to  the  Italian.  With 
singers  of  other  nationalities,  it  must  be  acquired. 
E— AY— AH— AWE— OH— OO.  Sing  the  vowels 
at  any  pitch  in  the  evenly  sustained  legato  mode, 
sliding  one  vowel  into  the  next.  You  will  at  once 
appreciate  the  immense  variety  in  tone  color  pos- 
sible in  the  delivery  of  ah.  Sing  the  compound 
vowel  i,  and  cut  off  the  e  at  the  end.  You  will 


awe       oh         oo 


then  have  produced  the  correct  Italian  ah.  Vocal 
freedom  is  the  birthright  of  the  Italian.  It  is 
due  almost  entirely  to  the  influence  of  the  Italian 
language,  which  is  peculiarly  free  from  conso- 
nantal interference.  In  passing  from  one  vowel  to 
another,  the  resonance  can  and  should  be  retained 
by  attention  to  evenness  of  character  and  tone 
quality.  Keep  on  the  line.  Merge  each  vowel  into 
the  next,  and  think  of  what  is  necessary  in  effect. 
Loud,  blatant  singing  is  never  beautiful  or  ex- 


190  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

pressive,  and  is  most  inartistic.  Sing  expressively, 
within  your  natural,  normal  limitation,  and  you 
will  be  rewarded  by  ever  increasing  range,  power, 
and  beauty  of  tone  quality.  Even  in  the  most 
dramatic  utterance  there  is  nothing  to  be  gained 
by  shrieking  or  forcing  the  voice.  Commence  prac- 
tice with  moderate  power  and  without  restraint. 
At  first  it  is  not  desirable  to  practise  too  softly,  as 
the  tendency  is  towards  too  much  restraint,  result- 
ing in  pinched  tone.  "  Piano  "  passages  should 
finally  be  sung  by  willing  to  sing  softly,  but  with 
absolute  freedom — just  as  forte  passages  are  sung 
by  willing  to  sing  with  strong  forceful  utterance. 
It  is  not  artistically  accomplished  by  attempting  to 
hold  back  the  breath,  or  by  any  wilful  muscular 
restraint.  It  does  not  involve  change  of  vocal 
mechanism.  Never  abuse  the  voice  by  straining, 
either  for  increased  range  or  power.  Remember 
the  conservation  of  voice  possessed  is  better  than 
restoration  of  lost  voice.  The  vital  energy  is 
aroused  by  interest  and  enthusiasm.  When  one 
is  alive  to  the  subject,  and  not  lackadaisical,  much 
has  been  gained  as  to  the  initiative  in  singing.  In 
considering  open  and  closed  tones,  remember  that 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  191 

under  certain  conditions  openness  is  the  natural 
law,  and  under  other  conditions  closure  is  the  nat- 
ural law.  The  old  school  practically  observed  this 
law.  It  is,  of  course,  impossible  to  prescribe  for 
others  alone  by  means  of  printed  pages.  Demon- 
strations are  necessary  to  insure  results.  Many 
young  voices  are  ruined  by  reading  of  different 
books  on  the  subject  of  voice  culture  and  experi- 
menting— not  being  able  to  judge  as  to  whether 
the  effects  produced  are  good  or  bad. 

In  singing  vowels,  enunciate  correctly,  as  you 
would  in  speech.  In  singing  words,  be  sure  to  pro- 
nounce correctly.  Thus  good  diction  is  secured. 
Slighting  the  consonants,  and  giving  them  undue 
prominence,  are  alike  fatal  to  good  results.  When 
the  old  Italian  masters  said,  "  Apri  la  bocca,"  they 
meant  exactly  what  they  said  ("Open  the  mouth  "). 
In  explanation,  they  would  say,  "  La  gola  dev* 
essere  libera,"  meaning  "  The  throat  must  be  free." 
They  might  also  say,  "  Bisogna  aprire  la  gola," 
which,  being  literally  interpreted,  means,  "  You 
must  open  the  throat,"  but  their  meaning  was  ex- 
planatory of  condition  only ;  that  is,  "  The  throat 
must  be  open."  This  is  one  of  the  things  which 


192  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

have  not  been  stated  clearly  enough,  if  indeed  it 
has  always  been  understood,  by  writers  of  the  pres- 
ent day.  There  is  a  distinction  and  there  is  a  difr 
ference  in  the  import,  as  will  at  once  be  appreci- 
ated by  every  thoughtful  observer.  "  Aperto  e 
chiaro  "  means  "  open  and  clear."  This  was  a  fre- 
quent admonition  to  students.  It  refers  to  voice, 
and  not  to  throat;  to  sound,  not  to  mechanism. 
"  CJiiudi  la  voce  e  canta  piu  Ubera  "  means,  "  Close 
the  voice  and  sing  more  freely."  Note  the  manner 
in  which  the  student's  attention  was  directed  to 
voice  and  effect,  and  the  style  of  singing  in  this 
mode  of  instruction.  The  old  masters  never  told 
you  what  to  do  nor  how  to  do  it,  from  any  learned 
physiological  or  anatomical  standpoint.  In  most 
cases,  they  did  not  know  about  these  things  them- 
selves ;  and  because  they  did  not  know,  they  were 
free  from  all  possible  deterrent  influences  of  this 
kind.  The  result  was  freedom  of  tone. 

It  is  interesting  and  important  to  observe  the 
real  principle  as  actually  practised  bu,t  not  ex- 
plained by  these  old  masters.  At  the  earliest  period 
of  the  vocal  era,  Tosi  said :  "  Let  the  master  attend 
with  great  care  to  the  voice  of  the  scholar,  which, 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  193 

whether  it  be  *  di  petto  '  or '  di  testa,'  should  always 
come  forth  neat  and  clear,  without  passing  through 
the  nose  or  being  choked  in  the  throat,  which  are 
two  o'f  the  most  horrible  defects  in  the  singer." 
Garcia  says :  "  No  person  can  ever  be  a  skilful 
singer  without  possessing  the  art  of  governing  res- 
piration." This  statement  has  caused  consider- 
able confusion  resulting  from  diversity  of  opinion 
about  the  manner  of  this  governing.  The  art  de- 
pends upon  control  of  poise.  The  true  point  of 
resistance  is  practically  found  by  focussing  the 
tone  forward.  Reflex  actions  then  occur.  The 
respiration  is  found  to  be  controlled,  but  never 
directly.  Focussing  the  tone  forward  is  an  idea 
which  is  generally  used  with  success.  The  influence 
is  to  make  the  singer  concentrate  on  desired  effect. 
This  concentration  will  bring  about  satisfactory 
results  in  the  matter  of  intensity  and  evenness  of 
successive  tones  or  phrases.  Singing  on  the  level 
of  your  tone,  or  on  the  line,  is  another  expression 
which  tends  to  keep  the  tones  of  the  phrase  even 
and  pure.  The  use  of  the  vowels  e  and  o  is 
particularly  useful  in  bringing  about  desired  focus 
of  tone* 


194  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

The  true  ringing,  powerful,  and  beautiful  tone 
cannot  be  produced  bj  squeezing  the  throat.  The 
thought  of  flowing  voice  is  most  important  in  cor- 
recting throat  and  tongue  stiffness.  Under  this 
thought,  the  tongue  is  mobile  and  normally  ready 
for  articulation.  The  tip  of  the  tongue  during 
the  sustaining  of  vowels  will  be  found  to  rest  more 
or  less  firmly  against  the  lower  teeth.  Under  these 
conditions  the  purest  tones  are  possible.  If  in  the 
consideration  of  flowing  voice  we  have  a  physical 
realization  o'f  flowing  breath,  no  attention  should 
be  paid  to  the  'fact,  so  long  as  the  tone  is  not 
breathy.  This  flowing  tone  is  a  natural  result  of 
right  conditions. 

Nasal  resonance  and  nasal  tone  are  two  different 
things.  Nasal  resonance  is  important  and  should 
characterize  what  are  generally  recognized  as 
medium  and  chest  tones  as  well  as  head  tones. 
Nasal  quality  is  recognized  by  sound.  It  is  caused 
mainly  by  undue  muscular  contraction,  or  incor- 
rect direction,  and  is  never  admissible.  It  is  use- 
less as  a  stepping  stone  to  true  nasal  resonance. 
If  the  color  of  voice  remains  the  same  when  the 
nostrils  are  closed  as  when  open,  it  is  an  indication 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  195 

that  the  voice  is  being  correctly  used.  The  direc- 
tion of  tone  is  correct  and  the  mechanism  is  working 
correctly. 

If  in  closing  the  nostrils  the  sound  is  impaired, 
it  is  a  reliable  indication  that  the  reverse  is  true. 
The  smiling  mouth  spoken  of  by  the  old  masters 
was  meant  by  them  to  be  the  manifestation  of  the 
happy  spirit — joyousness.  When  this  instruction 
was  reduced  to  a  mechanical  principal  by  the  con- 
sideration that  the  mouth  should  be  in  a  smiling 
position,  naturalness  of  expression  was  jeopar- 
dized. Another  case  of  the  cart  before  the  horse. 
The  old  Italian  idea  of  "  impostazione  della  voce," 
or  placing  of  the  voice,  was  accomplished  by  sing- 
ing forward  and  focussing  the  sound.  The  idea  of 
focussing  the  voice  forward  on  the  line  or  level, 
concentrating  the  attention  upon  the  sound,  is  of 
the  greatest  value  in  establishing  vocal  poise. 
"  Going  with  the  tone  "  is  also  useful  in  promoting 
elasticity.  Stand  with  the  arms  at  the  side.  Now 
when  beginning  the  exercise  extend  the  arms  to 
right  and  left  respectively,  palms  up,  as  though 
holding  a  light  object  in  each  hand.  See  that  the 
arms  are  extended,  palms  up,  not  higher  than  the 


196  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

shoulders,  which  should  not  be  raised.  This  move- 
ment will  lift  the  body  from  the  hips  and  expand 
the  chest,  thus  bringing  about  an  ideal  body  condi- 
tion for  singing.  It  is  one  of  the  most  valuable 
of  exercises. 

DO    SI1     1A1     SOC 


When  the  pupil  is  tense  and  rigid,  and  the  inter- 
ference is  obstinate,  bending  over  from  the  hips 
will  often  be  found  serviceable  in  remedying  the 
evil.  Sing 


no    -  ah 

As  the  ah  is  sung,  bend  over  from  hips  as 
in  making  a  low  bow.  The  mechanism  of  the 
larynx  quickly  adjusts  itself.  The  degree  of  per- 
fection of  the  mechanism  is  judged  by  the  effect 
produced.  The  perfection  of  the  mechanism  can- 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  197 

not  be  even  approximated  by  directing  conscious- 
ness to  the  physical  process. 

As  a  rule,  the  use  of  the  consonant  n  is  ptrefer- 
able  to  m  in  exercises  used  for  the  purpose  of 
promoting  resonance. 

In  singing,  see  that  the  neck  and  head  are  in  a 
free  and  loose  condition.  If  the  voice  is  focussed 
forward  as  evidenced  by  pure  and  beautiful  tones, 
the  breath  will  economize  itself.  Manage  the  voice 
with  the  ear.  Don't  manage  or  try  to  manage  the 
vocal  mechanism.  When  the  muscles  in  the  neck 
are  in  evidence  during  song,  it  is  a  positive  indi- 
cation that  the  tone  is  not  well  produced.  When 
the  corners  of  the  mouth  are  drawn  back,  the  tone 
will  become  hard  and  strident.  Mouth  or  facial 
muscles  should  not  be  rigid  or  set.  Never  smile 
artificially.  The  smiling  countenance  representing 
joyousness  must  be  a  natural  result  of  happy 
thought.  It  is  spiritual  in  its  origin. 

In  general,  the  singing  voice  of  the  Italian  is 
characterized  as  open  or  closed.  "  Piu  aperto  " 
or  "  Piu  chiuso  "  represent  their  preference.  The 
consensus  of  opinion,  however,  is  that  "  Chi  Canta, 
Chiuso  Canta  died  anni  di  piu  "  (He  who  sings 


198  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

closed  sings  ten  years  longer).  The  import  is  that 
the  use  of  the  voice  well  focussed  forward  is  more 
conducive  to  its  long  life. 

Students  should  realize  the  importance  of  doing 
small  things  well.  If  this  is  attended  to,  the  big 
things  will  take  care  of  themselves.  Always  sing 
exercises  with  strict  attention  to  tone  quality.  In 
regard  to  all  graded  exercises — so-called  methods 
— always  remember  that  the  important  considera- 
tion is  not  what  you  sing,  but  how  you  sing  it. 

Forcing  the  voice  is  generally  the  result  of  either 
the  desire  to  sing  too  loudly  or  with  too  big  a  tone, 
or  of  attempting  to  locally  adjust  the  vocal  mech- 
anism; in  short,  singing  with  the  throat  instead 
of  through  the  throat. 

The  natural  position  of  the  voice  in  effect,  un- 
hampered by  rigidity  of  the  body  and  sympathetic 
rigidity  of  the  throat,  is  forward  in  the  mouth. 
Correct  forward  placing  is  never  forced. 

The  word  "  relaxation  '*  in  vocal  art  is  used 
comparatively  as  opposed  to  "  rigidity."  Flexible 
firmness — the  result  of  vitalized  mental  or  emo- 
tional energy — is  the  ideal  condition.  The  cause  of 
stiffness  is  generally  the  attempt  to  produce  voice 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  199 

in  a  mechanical  or  artificial  way,  or  the  effect  of 
such  previous  attempts — habit. 

Vitalizing  the  mind  and  body  and  directing  the 
will  power  towards  producing  idealized  sound  in- 
stead of  towards  governing  the  physical  process, 
is  the  best  means  of  promoting  vocal  freedom. 

The  thought  of  purposely  producing  "  the  stroke 
of  the  glottis  "  is  abominable !  The  mind  should 
never  be  directed  to  that  end.  What  is  (described 
a>s  "  the  stroke  of  the  glottis  "  is  purely  resultant. 
The  glottis  takes  care  of  its  functional  process 
without  suggestion. 

The  necessary  muscular  tension  for  artistic  tone 
is  a  natural  result  of  correctly  idealized  tone,  fol- 
lowed by  the  spontaneous  effort  in  its  production. 

The  swelling  and  diminishing  of  a  tone — "  messa 
di  voce  " — should  be  brought  about  by  a  strictly 
mental  process,  willing  the  result  in  effect,  without 
any  attention  whatever  being  paid  to  the  breath. 

As  a  principle,  the  idea  of  first  localizing  the 
effort  instead  of  willing  the  end  in  view  is  erroneous, 
alike  for  beginners  and  advanced  students.  It  is 
not  only  entirely  unnecessary,  but  is  absolutely 
prrnicious  in  doctrine.  If  you  think  local  effort, 


200  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

the  habit  thus  formed  will  be  difficult  to  break. 
What  is  generally  understood  by  the  profession 
as  the  correct  placing  of  the  voice  should  occur 
spontaneously,  and  will  always  be  recognized.  It 
is  part  of  the  singer's  sensation,  but  there  should  be 
no  thought  of  purposeful  placing  of  the  voice  The 
thought  of  directing  the  voice  forward  and  focus- 
sing the  tones  forward  is  much  more  useful,  and 
avoids  the  tendency  toward  stiffness  of  the  body. 

THE  USE  OF  VOCAL  EXERCISES 

The  first  object  of  vocal  exercise  is  to  strengthen 
voice  muscles  and  make  them  pliable  and  elastic. 
Exercises  should  accomplish  their  object  in  due 
course  of  time,  providing  that  the  mental  attitude 
regarding  this  development  is  favorable. 

The  moment  development  of  tones  which  are  not 
in  use  during  speech,  but  which  are  required  in 
song,  commences,  the  question  of  how  to  do  it  con- 
fronts the  singer.  The  acquiring  of  skill  in  singing 
is  handicapped  most  seriously  and  most  generally 
by  just  one  thing,  which  has  been  reiterated  in 
these  chapters,  i.e.,  the  idea  of  the  possibility  of 
mechanical  vocal  adjustment — a  thing  which  is  for- 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  201 

eign  to  the  art  of  self-expression,  and  foreign  to 
the  natural  law  of  physical  development  as 
applied  to  musical  expression.  The  physical  obey- 
ing the  mental  indirectly,  as  applied  to  the  art  of 
self-expression,  must  not  be  confused  with  the 
established  fact  that  the  physical  obeys  the  mental 
in  a  direct  material  way — if  it  is  so  desired. 

The  fiat  of  will  directed  towards  direct  purpose- 
ful guidance  may  be  applied,  and  certain  mechani- 
cal results  can  be  obtained.  This  very  possibility 
has  been  the  cause  of  the  persistent  failure  to 
comprehend  the  deeper  truth  that  the  muscles  obey 
the  fiat  of  will  to  express  human  emotions  without 
direct  conscious  guidance  or  surveillance.  The 
danger  of  the  will  being  used  to  develop  the  muscles 
in  a  purely  mechanical  way  is,  that  the  abnormal 
development  of  muscles,  not  only  useless  as  an 
assisting  agent,  but  positively  detrimental  to 
effects  desired,  is  more  than  likely  to  occur.  It  is 
the  same  sort  of  danger  which  threatens  the  success 
of  an  athlete  who  may  become  muscle-bound 
through  persistent  effort  in  the  wrong  direction. 
The  training  of  the  muscular  system  for  the  physi- 
cal requirements  of  singing  calls  for  the  most  ex- 


802  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

pert  knowledge  and  skill  on  the  part  of  vocal 
teachers,  and  perhaps  nowhere  is  a  greater  misap- 
prehension of  the  requirements  in  training  more  in 
evidence  than  in  the  use  of  the  vocal  exercises. 
The  mind  must  be  kept  steadfastly  on  the  goal  of 
effect. 

Go  into  any  large  studio  building  and  listen  to 
the  more  than  meaningless,  the  heartrending,  al- 
most inhuman  sounds  emanating  from  the  throats 
of  many  students  during  their  lessons.  What  a 
pitiful  story  is  told  in  their  plaintive  efforts  to  find 
the  way,  and  what  a  colossal  monument  stands,  not 
mutely,  to  the  benighted  views  of  the  day  concern- 
ing voice-training,  current  among  the  hundreds  of 
teachers  who  are  the  real  perpetrators  of  the 
living  outrage ! 

Witness  among  the  vast  number  of  students  the 
seeming  prostitution  of  their  divine  right  to  the 
exercise  of  just  a  modicum  of  common  sense  in  the 
matter.  The  students  sing  their  exercises  or 
fancy  that  they  sing  them,  but  in  the  absence  of 
any  thought  of  intelligent  or  natural  expression 
during  the  supposed  singing,  they  are  actually 
uttering  sounds  which  could  be  more  properly  char- 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  203 

acterized  as  cat-calls,  shrieks  and  howls,  grunts 
and  groans,  which  might  be  expected  to  be  heard 
only  in  the  corridors  of  an  insane  asylum. 

Tell  the  operating  surgeon — the  vocal  teacher — 
or  the  willing  patient  victim — the  pupil — of  your 
impression,  and  you  will  be  patronizingly  told  that 
all  this  is  necessary  to  the  placing  of  the  voice. 
Yes,  they  are  getting  their  voices  placed  in  a  posi- 
tion where  it  is  incapable  of  expressive  utterance 
either  in  truly  powerful  and  intense  mode  or  in  the 
nuance  of  delicate  shading. 

Is  useless,  superfluous  vocal  effort  which  so  often 
brings  disastrous  results  to  remain  a  lasting  omni- 
present heritage  of  deeply  planted  error? 

It  is  to  be  hoped  not. 

The  saving  value  of  knowledge  of  the  truth  re- 
garding fundamental  principles  would  right  mat- 
ters to  a  very  considerable  degree,  and  eventually 
bring  about  universal  vocal  freedom.  Properly 
graded  preliminary  work,  and  the  more  advanced 
studies  combining  the  vocal  and  consonantal  exer- 
cises, elements  of  musical  diction  or  practical  sing- 
ing, properly  applied  with  the  correct  mental  atti- 
tude, would  speedily  rectify  the  most  destructive 


204  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

evil  of  the  dominating  mechanical  idea  now  in  gen- 
eral use. 

The  following  exercises  are  presented  as  a  con- 
densed progressive  method  and  comprise  the  im- 
portant vocal  movements  for  developing  poise, 
power,  and  agility.  The  devices  are  suggested  as 
a  means  for  overcoming  special  vocal  defects  which 
may  have  been  previously  acquired  by  singers,  as 
well  as  for  beginners. 

The  pitch  as  indicated  is  not  arbitrary,  and  may 
be  changed  to  suit  the  requirements  of  individual 
voices. 

The  principal  devices  recommended  are,  first, 
the  physical  "  lift  "  which  is  best  accomplished  by 
standing  erect  and  gently  stretching  the  body  up- 
ward from  the  hips.  The  condition  of  elasticity  as 
opposed  to  rigidity  is  imperative — hence  the  up- 
ward stretch  of  the  body  should  not  be  overdone. 
This  activity  is  conducive  to  a  condition  of  flexible 
firmness  of  the  immediate  physical  parts  involved 
in  tone  production,  rather  than  a  condition  of 
relaxation. 

The  necessary  tonicity  of  the  voice  can  never  be 
established  while  the  muscular  system  is  relaxed. 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 


205 


The  second  device  is  not  physical.  It  is  the  sing- 
ing on  an  imaginary  line.  This  device  is  one  which 
was  used  by  many  of  the  Italian  masters  of  my  stu- 
dent days  in  Italy,  and  which  was  used  by  the  old 
Italian  masters  who  taught  these  singers  and 
teachers.  It  was  handed  down  by  word  of  mouth 
and  by  precept  and  example — but  I  have  never 
found  a  lucid  explanation  of  the  idea  in  print.  In 
my  opinion  it  is  the  most  effective  thought  ever  ad- 
vanced by  the  representatives  of  old  Italian  schools 
for  promoting  ideal  conditions.  I  believe  it  to  be 
one  of  the  great  secrets  of  the  successful  training 
of  singers  in  the  art  of  *'  bel  canto." 

The  following  diagram  represents  the  idea, 
which  may  be  easily  understood.  The  vertical  line 


represents  the  notes  of  the  music.    The  horizontal 
lines  represent  the  imaginary  line  of  singing,  which 


206 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 


is  at  the  height  of  the  forehead  and  at  any  distance 
whatever  from  the  singer.  The  thought  of  the 
line  of  common  level  of  all  tones  should  be  carried 
out  in  singing  exercises,  including  all  intervals — 
likewise  in  the  singing  of  songs. 

In  this  celebrated  phrase  in  the  soprano  aria 
from  "  Ocean,  thou  mighty  monster,"  the  high  B 
is  seldom  sung,  owing  to  the  extreme  difficulty  in 
securing  the  correct  vocal  form.  The  thought  of 
the  line  is  a  great  aid  in  this,  as  in  all  especially 
difficult  passages  of  music. 

dann         O  -  ze  -  an,  stellst  du    ein  echreckbild  dar. 

— r — r  5  r  t  r — ttt  ' 


(Oberon) 


jf±i 


dann         O  -  ze  -  an,  stellst  du   ein  schreckbild  dar. 


t* 


Ce  -  les-te     A     -     i     -     da 


I=t 


£ 


Er   -   ger  -  ti  un  tro   -  no     vi  -  ci      no  al    Sol 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  207 

These  two  phrases  in  Verdi's  Aida  present  vocal 
conditions  diametrically  opposed  to  each  other — 
one  the  ascending,  the  other  the  descending  scale. 

In  both  cases  lift  to  the  level  and  sing  on  the 
line  from  the  beginning  to  the  end  of  the  phrase. 

When  the  student  first  begins  to  sing  correctly, 
he  often  experiences  certain  physical  sensations 
incidental  to  change  of  pitch,  especially  in  singing 
exercises  and  phrases  containing  notes  separated 
by  wide  intervals.  The  student,  however,  should 
not  allow  his  attention  to  be  diverted  by  this  mani- 
festation of  physical  activity  of  the  inner  throat, 
but  should  be  steadfast  in  his  purpose  to  sing  beau- 
tifully and  evenly.  Such  physical  changes  are 
normal  and  natural  and  are  necessarily  attendant 
upon  tone  delivery.  They  should  be  allowed  to 
occur.  This  is  why  teachers  of  understanding  warn 
you  not  to  hold  the  larynx. 

The  physical  phenomena  may  include  changes  in 
the  length,  breadth,  thickness,  or  plane  of  the 
cords.  These  may  vibrate  partially  or  fully.  The 
amplitude  or  rapidity  of  vibrations  may  differ,  and 
the  various  conditions  may  offer  a  scientific  expla- 
nation of  the  physical  phenomena,  but  are  not  for 


SOS  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

the  student's  immediate  consideration.  Sing  all 
tones  for  high,  medium,  and  low  notes  on  the  imag- 
inary line.  The  tones  of  the  extreme  high  notes 
will  seem  to  vibrate  at  the  forehead,  nose,  and  roof 
off  the  mouth.  This  character  of  head  resonance 
will  be  retained  to  some  extent  in  the  tones  of 
medium  and  low  notes.  These  things  become  mat- 
ters of  observation  and  are  thrust  upon  the  con- 
sciousness. 

EXERCISES 

IN  ortfer  that  the  singer  shall  be  vocally  well 
equipped,  the  voice  must  respond  to  every  pitch 
desired,  as  also  to  quality,  quantity,  and  color, 
within  its  natural  limitations.  These  limitations 
are  by  no  means  fixed,  except  temporarily,  for  the 
voice  is  like  a  growing  plant.  Its  growth  and  de- 
velopment depend  upon  the  manner  of  its  treat- 
ment. We  shall  proceed  upon  the  assumption  that 
the  voice  will  gradually  take  on  its  natural  habili- 
ments in  response  to  mental  conception  of  effect 
desired  and  without  recourse  to  any  mechanical 
adjustment  foreign  to  natural  expression. 

Stand  erect  and  easily,  throwing  the  weight  of 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART  209 

the  body  forward,  the  shoulders  well  back,  the  chest 
up.  See  that  you  are  not  in  any  way  perturbed, 
and  that  you  are  not  rigid.  Be  calm.  Now,  with- 
out any  thought  of  taking  breath  or  controlling 
breath  in  any  way,  sing  the  exercises,  listening  to 
your  own  voice  carefully  as  you  sing,  and  note  the 
effect.  Sing  with  the  idea  of  producing  sounds  of 
equal  volume  and  characteristically  the  same  in 
quality.  In  short,  sing  evenly.  Do  not  pinch  or 
pull  in  an  effort  to  adjust  the  position  of  the  tones, 
and  on  no  account  attempt  to  locally  control  the 
breath.  Forget  it.  Remember  that  breath  control 
is  automatic  and  develops  without  thought.  Sing 
with  the  idea  of  expressing  some  idea.  The  mental 
attitude  has  everything  to  do  with  the  result. 
First,  sing  the  exercises  mezzo  forte,  and  idealize 
the  stating  of  any  fact.  This  we  will  call  the  narra- 
tive character,  and  the  narrative  character  is  not 
necessarily  emotional.  Avoid  the  emotional  for 
the  present,  but  sing  with  living  interest.  Sing 
directly  forward,  as  in  earnest  speech.  'Sing  on 
the  line.  Whatever  the  interval  to  be  sung,  sing 
on  the  line.  Never  give  any  thought  to  change  of 
registers.  Registers  change  automatically,  unless 


210  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

there  is  a  condition  of  rigidity,  causing  interfer- 
ence with  normal,  natural  vocal  action.  In  such 
cases  the  remedy  is  mental  energy.  Use  the  will- 
power to  arouse  the  vital  force  to  produce  the  musi- 
cal result  and  not  to  locally  adjust  the  mechanism. 

The  idea  of  commencing  vocal  work  by  holding 
the  head  and  jaw  immovable  is  erroneous.  It  pro- 
motes rigidity.  Move  them  both  freely,  just  to 
prove  that  the  thing  is  entirely  possible.  You  will 
find  that  true  repose  must  be  the  kind  that  permits 
you  to  move  freely  without  upsetting  the  normal 
vocal  poise.  If  you  don't  believe  in  such  things,  try 
it,  and  you  will  commence  to  feel  like  a  free  agent, 
instead  of  a  vocal  slave — perhaps  for  the  first  time 
in  your  life. 

Before  commencing  the  exercises,  one  word  more 
about  singing  on  the  line,  that  its  meaning  may  be 
perfectly  clear :  This  one  idea  is  indeed  "  Muttum 
In  parvum  "  (Much  in  little).  If  you  sing  on  the 
line,  you  avoid  the  necessity  of  thinking  a  number 
of  things  at  the  same  time,  which  is  generally 
difficult  and  confusing.  % 

The  mental  attitude  is  this:  I  want  even  tones, 
alike  in  quality  anil  quantity,  so  that  the  exercise 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 


211 


will  run  smoothly  in  legato  style.  Now  all  that  is 
necessary  is  to  sing  as  though  speaking  earnestly, 
keeping  the  actual  delivery  of  each  note  on  a  men- 


tally conceived  line  on  a  level  with  the  forehead, 
which  is  represented  in  the  diagram.  Make  no 
attempt  to  adjust  the  throat  or  control  the  breath. 


212  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

Neither  repress  nor  press.  Let  the  mentally  con- 
ceived tone  pour  forward.  Instead  of  singing  up 
and  down,  sing  mentally  on  a  level  or  line. 

By  this  mental  conception  as  a  guide,  the  actual 
firmness  of  tone  combined  with  flexibility  of  the 
parts  so  much  desired,  will  commence  to  develop. 
Pay  no  attention  to  the  throat.  Do  not  hold  it 
firmly  or  otherwise.  Forget  it.  True  resonance  will 
then  commence  to  be  in  evidence. 

This  may  result  in  a  consciousness  of  a  gentle 
rising  and  falling  of  the  larynx.  If  so,  do  not 
attempt  to  control  it.  Keep  your  mind  on  evenness 
of  effect.  The  consciousness  of  this  physical  activ- 
ity may  be  thrust  upon  the  singer  at  first,  but  should 
be  allowed  to  take  care  of  itself. 

Ex. 

mf 


(In  singing  "ah,"  sing  as  "  I,"  eliminating  the  final  e.) 

ee         ay        oh        oo        ah 
Sing  without  crescendo  or  diminuendo. 

Ex.2. 


is: *5  -& Sing  the  sound  of 

hoong   —  oh     —    ah  "hoong"    as  in  hook, 

hoong   —   ee     —    ah  not  ^ m  hoot. 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 


213 


Ex.3. 


ee  —  a   —  ah 
(as  in  day)  (as  I) 


oo  —  oh  —  ah     me — you — ah 


Ex.4. 


ift—  h 

—  *  — 

—  m  — 

9  

—  -j  —  | 

no 
lo 

nay 
lay 

noo 
loo 

nee 
lee 

nah  —  Articulate  well, 
lah 

Ex.5. 


(And  the  various  vowels  at  discretion) 
Sing  in  different  keys. 


i   m 


* 


ah- 
Ex.6. 


— J    k 


In  starting  the  first  note  of  this  exercise,  stretch  cr  lift  the 
lower  ribs  quietly  from  the  base  of  the  spine.  The  octave  C 
will  be  found  to  adjust  itself.  In  going  to  the  D  h  avoid  cramp- 
ing the  throat.  Let  the  tone  flow  forward.  Then  in  descending 
to  the  Dfc  below  continue  lifting.  Finish  the  exercise  keeping 
the  last  note  on  the  line.  This  is  difficult  to  express  by  means 
of  cold  type,  but  when  understood  it  is  one  of  the  most  valua- 
ble exercises  in  voice  training. 


214  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

Ex.7. 


In  singing  this  or  any  descending  scale  think  each  de- 
scending note  higher  than  the  note  preceding. 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 


215 


Ex.  10. 


ah 


Ex.  11. 


e^E^3 


m 


ah- 


NOTE. — ^Always  sing  ah  as  I  eliminating  the  final  e. 
Ex.  12. 


ah    ha    ha    ha      ha 

A  A 


f  ! 


s 


fc2 


Ya  —  ha  —  ah 


ah      ha     ha      ha      ha 


?=ff= 


Yah        ha       ha        ha        ha       ha       ha 


216  THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 

Ex.  13. 


m 


Ah- 


Sing  with  legato  and  staccato  modes. 


Accent,  but  do  not  especially  aspirate  the  "  ha." 


ah    (as  I) 

Also  practise  this  exercise  in  staccato  mode. 
Ex.  14. 


;B 


Ex.  15. 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 


217 


Ex.  16. 


m 


-*-— 


ah- 


Firet,  sing  slowly  in  pure  legato  mode,  then  sing  more 
rapidly. 


Ex.  17. 


In  these  two  exercises  sing  the  first  triplet  slowly,  then 
gradually  accelerate  the  tempo. 

In  the  descending  exercise  lift  as  it  descends. 

EXERCISES  FOR  THE  TRILL. 

Trilling  is  an  easy  accomplishment  for  some  voices,  but  for 
others  it  is  extremely  difficult.  The  trill,  however,  with  pa- 
tience and  perseverance,  can  be  acquired  by  all. 

Ex.  18. 


m 


^H-Ff^f 


ah 
ee- 


oh- 


A  A  A  A  A  A 


TTg  ETcT&rte-^-F 


ah 

ee- 

oh- 


218 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 


A         A         A 


-*-— 


ah 


t.  L  t.  if 


£ 


gX  — 


-u^-u^-u-u^ 


ah- 


A        A         A        A 


t=* 


ah- 


J^E* 


-^ — ^«- 


-*—=-*- 


i    i    I   I  igfc=igt 


ah- 


Sing  the  grace  notes  with  a  short  snappy  effect,  breaking 
from  each  grace  note  into  the  note  following  with  a  sharp 
accent. 


Ex.19. 

The  "  Messa  di  Voce." 


In  practising  these  exercises  do  not  sing  FF. 


THE  LOST  VOCAL  ART 


219 


Ex.20. 


Commencing  with  the  most  delicate  sound  possible,  swell 
the  tone  to  forte  and  diminish.  First  crescendo  and  dimin- 
uendo rapidly,  then  gradually  .more  and  more  slowly.  Final- 
ly carry  out  the  extreme  perdendosi  letting  the  sound  die 
away  to  a  whisper. 

Chromatic  scale,  ascending  and  descending. 


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